Anthony Albanese condemns Israel’s ‘outrageous’ blockade in some of his strongest criticism to date

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has condemned Israel’s “outrageous” blockade on food and other critical supplies into Gaza, as the humanitarian crisis in the besieged enclave intensifies and threatens mass starvation.

Israel blocked all food, medicine and fuel from entering the strip for two and a half months before a handful of trucks were allowed in last week after mounting international pressure, but aid agencies on the ground have warned it’s a drop in the ocean.

At the same time, Israel has intensified its air campaign in Gaza and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that the entire strip would be under Israeli security control by the end of the war.

In some of his strongest language to date, Mr Albanese on Monday called for an end to the blockades on food and essential supplies, and slammed the Netanyahu government’s justifications as “completely untenable and without credibility”.

“People are starving. The idea that a democratic state withholds supply is an outrage, that is my clear position,” he said.

Mr Albanese met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog on the sidelines of Pope Leo XIV’s inauguration in Rome last week, and said during that discussion he had “made it very clear that Australia finds these actions completely unacceptable”.

“We find Israel’s excuses and explanations completely untenable and without credibility,” Mr Albanese said on Monday.

He said his Government is consistently and unequivocally opposed to the October 7 attack and is firmly of the view Hamas should have no role in the future of Gaza.

“But states, which are democratic states, have a responsibility to behave in a way that is consistent with international law and with humanitarian concerns, and the whole world is concerned about what has occurred with the blockade and Australia will continue to make clear statements on that,” he said.

Mr Albanese would not be drawn on the issue of Palestinian statehood, saying the world was first and foremost concerned about the humanitarian crisis.

He said he hadn’t spoken to the United Kingdom or Canada about taking concrete action against Israel.

Last week the two countries and France attacked Israel’s “egregious” disproportionate escalation of the military campaign and aid blockade, and threatened a “concrete” response if the campaign didn’t de-escalate.

Earlier, Labor minister Malarndirri McCarthy said she expected the “appalling atrocities” in Gaza to be a feature of the first cabinet meeting since the election, to take place in Canberra on Monday.

“Today we come back to cabinet. Today it will be a conversation and I am confident with our Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong, we will get a report back to us, in terms of what we are doing,” she told ABC News.