Australia, UK and allies ‘condemn’ Israel over ‘inhumane’ civilian killings in Gaza Strip, demand end to war
Australia has joined the United Kingdom, France, and more than 20 other countries in demanding an immediate end to the war in Gaza and for Israel to lift all restrictions on aid.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong signed the joint statement on Australia’s behalf, with the signatories condemning the mounting toll on civilians and highlighting that over 800 Palestinians had been killed while trying to access food and water.
“The suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths. The Israeli government’s aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity,” the statement declared.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.The majority of those killed were in the vicinity of Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites, which the United States and Israel backed to take over aid distribution in the Gaza Strip from a network led by the United Nations.
“We condemn the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic need of water and food,” the statement continued.
“The Israeli Government’s denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable. Israel must comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law.”
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said the statement was “disconnected from reality” and it would send the wrong message to Hamas.
“The statement fails to focus the pressure on Hamas and fails to recognise Hamas’s role and responsibility for the situation,” the Israeli statement said.
Much of the Gaza Strip has been reduced to a wasteland during more than 21 months of the war that began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on October 7, 2023 killing 1200 people and taking 251 hostages.
According to Gaza Strip health authorities, Israel’s campaign in has killed more than 59,000 Palestinians.
The GHF uses private US security and logistics companies to get supplies into the Gaza Strip, largely bypassing a UN-led system that Israel alleges has let the militants from the terrorist organisation Hamas loot aid shipments intended for civilians.
The UN has called the GHF’s model unsafe and a breach of humanitarian impartiality standards, which the GHF denies.
The statement comes as Israeli tanks pushed into southern and eastern districts of the Gazan city of Deir al-Balah for the first time on Monday, an area where Israeli sources said the military believes hostages may be held.
