Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his nation’s military had made a “tragic mistake” in an air strike that set fire to a camp housing displaced Palestinians and killed at least 45 people,according to Reuters.
Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said the death and destruction in Rafah was “horrific”.Alex Ellinghausen
Wong said the events of the past 24 hours had shown why world leaders,including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese,had forcefully warned Israel against launching a military campaign in Rafah,a city where over a million Palestinians from elsewhere in Gaza have sought refuge during the war.
“The death and destruction in Rafah is horrific,” Wong told Senate estimates hearings in Canberra.
“This human suffering is unacceptable.
“We reiterate to the government of Israel:this cannot continue.”
Wong called for “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire so civilians can be protected”,saying Australia continued to support the work of the United States,Qatar and Egypt to that end.
“We continue to call for the release of all hostages by Hamas and for Israel to allow aid to flow at scale,as directed by the International Court of Justice,” she said.
Albanese said the government had consistently opposed an Israeli ground offensive in Rafah,telling parliamentary question time:“We must have a humanitarian ceasefire so that civilian life can be protected.
“We must have increased humanitarian assistance delivered to Gaza.”
Christos Christou,the global president of Medecins sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders),told the National Press Club he wanted the government to take “immediate,concrete actions to hold Israel to account” for its conduct during the war.
“Australia must apply appropriate sanctions on Israel,as it would to any other global state that refuses to comply with UN Security Council resolutions,” Christou said.
“Honestly,I have run out of words.
“I wish I could find the words to express the smell of infected wounds,the cries of mothers who’ve lost their children,the constant sound of drones,the level of desperation of my colleagues.”
Christou accused Israel of conducting an “indiscriminate and disproportionate military campaign” and “pursuing a policy of deliberate deprivation,only allowing a trickle of food and water to enter Gaza”.
The Medecins sans Frontieres charter says the charity is committed to “impartiality and neutrality” but adds that these values “are not synonymous with silence” when it comes to providing lifesaving medical care.
The Israeli embassy in Canberra did not respond to a request for comment.
Netanyahu told the Israeli parliament that “we are investigating the case and will draw the conclusions”.
“In Rafah,we evacuated a million uninvolved residents and,despite our best efforts,a tragic accident happened,” he said.
Israel's Prime Minister has acknowledged a tragic mistake was made after an airstrike in the southern Gaza city of Rafah killed at least 45 people.
Israel has insisted that it needs to conduct a military campaign in Rafah to dismantle Hamas’ remaining battalions and secure the return of hostages taken captive during the militant group’s October 7 attacks on Israeli towns.
Hamas killed 1200 people in those attacks and took more than 200 hostages,according to Israel’s defence force.
In response,Israel launched air strikes and a ground invasion of Gaza that,according to the local health ministry,has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians,injured more than 80,000 and displaced more than 1.7 million.
Israel’s arguments have failed to resonate with most world leaders,including French President Emmanuel Macron,who said he was outraged by the strikes.
“These operations must stop,” he said. “There are no safe areas in Rafah for Palestinian civilians.”
The Foreign Office of Germany,which has been a staunch supporter of Israel for decades,said “the images of charred bodies,including children,from the airstrike in Rafah are unbearable”.
Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said attacks against Palestinian civilians in Gaza can “no longer be justified”.
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