Australia has called for Israel to accept a US-led ceasefire deal as Foreign minister Penny Wong branded the situation in Gaza catastrophic.
The three-stage offer calls for a ceasefire, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners and Gaza’s reconstruction.
“The death and destruction is horrific, and the human suffering is unacceptable. We reiterate to the Netanyahu government, this cannot continue,” Senator Wong told a parliamentary hearing on Monday.
“We must see an immediate humanitarian ceasefire so that civilians can be protected.
“Hamas must release hostages, and Israel must allow aid to flow at scale … and so we welcome the current ceasefire proposal from President Biden and I publicly urge parties to agree to its terms.”
At least 17,000 children are unaccompanied by families, about 10 per cent of infants under the age of two in Rafah have malnutrition and more than 50,000 children across Gaza are malnourished, department deputy secretary Rod Brazier said.
Of 36 hospitals, 20 are completely out of service, 65 per cent of primary healthcare centres are not functioning and 1.1 million people – half of Gaza’s population – face severe food insecurity, he added.
“What we have seen in Rafah underlines why Australia and the international community have been united in opposition,” Senator Wong said in reference to widespread condemnation of Israel’s offence against Gaza’s last refuge.
An Israeli airstrike in Rafah killed dozens of people and injured hundreds more after it ignited a fire in a displacement camp, an action Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed on a “technical failure”.
Something went “tragically wrong” and it would be investigated, the prime minister said.
Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1200 people and taking more than 200 hostages, according to Tel Aviv, and Israel’s counter-offensive has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians and injured more than 80,000, Gaza’s health ministry says.
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By Dominic Giannini in Canberra
