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Foreign Minister Penny Wong has joined international allies to call for a humanitarian pause on hostilities in Gaza so that food and water reach civilians and people can move to safety, in the federal government’s strongest statement yet on the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Her intervention comes alongside appeals from the United Nations, United States, Canada and New Zealand for a humanitarian pause to allow safe deliveries of aid in the besieged territory, as Gaza’s health ministry said Israeli air strikes had killed more than 700 Palestinians overnight.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has joined international allies and called for a humanitarian pause on hostilities in Gaza.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
Wong said the way Israel chose to defend itself against the terrorist group’s attack on October 7 mattered and should not lead to the suffering of innocent Palestinian civilians. While she acknowledged some humanitarian aid had been delivered to Gaza in recent days, she said it was “nowhere near enough”.
UN agencies said they were pleading “on our knees” for emergency aid to be let into Gaza unimpeded, and that more than 20 times the current deliveries were needed to support the narrow strip’s 2.3 million people amid widespread devastation.
The federal government has sent two extra aircrafts and support personnel to the Middle East to support Australians in the region given the “volatile situation”, Defence Minister Richard Marles said on Wednesday morning.
There are 79 Australians and their families currently in contact with the government.
Wong said the humanitarian situation in Gaza was dire and humanitarian suffering widespread.
“We have consistently called for safe, unimpeded and sustained humanitarian access, and safe passage for civilians. There has been access in recent days but nowhere near enough,” she wrote in a statement on X on Wednesday morning.
“We call for humanitarian pauses on hostilities, so food, water, medicine and other essential assistance can reach people in desperate need, and so civilians can get to safety.
“The way Israel exercises its right to defend itself matters. It matters to civilians throughout the region, and it matters to Israel’s ongoing security.
“Innocent Palestinian civilians should not suffer because of the outrages perpetrated by Hamas.”
European Union leaders are also expected to endorse a call for a “humanitarian pause” in hostilities later this week, a move that would also give more time for negotiations mediated by Qatar to secure the release of hostages.
A pause is generally considered less formal and shorter than a ceasefire. Russia backed Arab states and called for a humanitarian ceasefire in its contribution to the United Nations on Tuesday.
A senior United States official said it remained opposed to a total ceasefire: “We think humanitarian pauses linked to the delivery of aid that still allow Israel to conduct military operations to defend itself are worth consideration.”
Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen dismissed calls for “proportionality” in the country’s response to Hamas’ attack at a high-level UN meeting on Tuesday.
“How can you agree to a ceasefire with someone who swore to kill and destroy your own existence?”
“It is not only Israel’s right to destroy Hamas. It’s our duty,” he said, as he urged international support.
Marles said Australia was advocating for a humanitarian corridor so that the 79 Australians, permanent residents and their families could leave Gaza, since they had been unable to exit through Egypt.
Marles did not confirm where the Australian aircraft would be located for operational reasons.
“But we are putting that in place, really, as a contingency to support Australian populations in the Middle East,” he said.
“This is a very volatile situation, and we just don’t absolutely know which way it goes from here, as the world really holds its breath watching it.”
With Reuters, AP
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