Israel strikes Syrian military HQ, moves troops north
Israeli forces have stepped up operations in Syria since Monday after deadly fighting between Druze, Bedouin groups and Syrian troops in the southern area of Suwayda. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said nearly 250 people have been killed in the clashes in recent days, with more than 20 being executed. Almost 140 of those are members of the Syrian security forces, the SOHR said.
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News.com.au
18 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Anthony Albanese says Gaza crisis has gone ‘beyond the world's worst fears'
Anthony Albanese has warned the situation in Gaza has gone 'beyond the world's worst fears' and accused Israel of denying aid to starving children in his strongest criticism to date. Just a week after describing the reported killings of Palestinians seeking aid in Gaza as 'completely indefensible', Mr Albanese has issued a new statement on the crisis. 'The situation in Gaza has gone beyond the world's worst fears,' Mr Albanese said on Friday. 'The position of the Australian Government is clear: every innocent life matters. 'Every Israeli. Every conflict has stolen far too many innocent lives.' Mr Albanese's statement also accused Israel of denying aid to children in Gaza and killing civilians. 'Tens of thousands of civilians are dead, children are starving,'' Mr Albanese said. 'Gaza is in the grip of a humanitarian catastrophe. Israel's denial of aid and the killing of civilians, including children, seeking access to water and food cannot be defended or ignored. 'We call on Israel to comply immediately with its obligations under international law.' It follows British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer warning the Palestinian people have an 'inalienable right' to a state of their own and French President Emmanuel Macron confirming he will support moves to recognise a Palestinian state in September at the UN general assembly, 'Any proposals for the permanent forced displacement of the Palestinian population must be abandoned,'' Mr Albanese said. 'Australia condemns the terror and brutality of Hamas and we reiterate our call for the immediate release of the remaining hostages. 'We continue to support all international efforts to facilitate a ceasefire, recognising that an immediate and permanent ceasefire gives the best hope of bringing hostages home and easing the agony of their loved ones.' Mr Albanese said that the 'legitimate aspirations' for the Palestinian people to have a state of their own was a bipartisan proposition. 'Australia is proud to have strongly supported the creation of the modern state of Israel,' he said. 'Then, as now, the global community envisioned two states: the State of Israel and the State of Palestine. 'Recognising the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for a state of their own has long been a bipartisan position in Australia. 'The reason a two state solution remains the goal of the international community is because a just and lasting peace depends upon it. 'Australia is committed to a future where both the Israeli and Palestinian peoples can live in peace and safety, within secure and internationally-recognised borders. 'Until that day, every effort must be made here and now to safeguard innocent life and end the suffering and starvation of the people of Gaza. Sir Keir Starmer has condemned the 'unspeakable and indefensible' humanitarian conditions in Gaza after aid groups warned of mass starvation. In a statement this week, he warned that while the situation had been 'grave for some time' but it has 'reached new depths'. 'We are witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe,' he said. 'I will hold an emergency call with E3 partners tomorrow, where we will discuss what we can do urgently to stop the killing and get people the food they desperately need while pulling together all the steps necessary to build a lasting peace. We all agree on the pressing need for Israel to change course and allow the aid that is desperately needed to enter Gaza without delay. 'It is hard to see a hopeful future in such dark times. But I must reiterate my call for all sides to engage in good faith, and at pace, to bring about an immediate ceasefire and for Hamas to unconditionally release all hostages. We strongly support the efforts of the US, Qatar and Egypt to secure this. 'We are clear that statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people. A ceasefire will put us on a path to the recognition of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution which guarantees peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis.' Israel-Gaza war Mr Albanese has described recent actions by the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza as 'completely indefensible' confirming in the last week that he told Israeli President Isaac Herzog directly that Israel was losing support. Describing the blockade on aid into Gaza as 'completely unacceptable' he took issue with Israel's 'excuses and explanations'. 'We need to always engage in the world as it is, rather than as we would like it to be,' he said. 'Israel's actions, many of the actions of the Netanyahu government, including by its ministers, have led my government indeed to sanction ministers in the Netanyahu government. We would not have thought that was on the agenda in 2022, when I was elected. 'Australia is a long-term supporter — and indeed played a role in the creation of the State of Israel. 'But at that time it's important to remember that two states were envisaged and Australia and certainly my government, has continued to support two states in the Middle East: the State of Israel and the State of Palestine. 'We want Israel to continue to exist within secure borders and to be able to live without the threat of terrorists such as Hamas engaging in the sort of atrocities we saw on October 7. 'But Palestinians have a legitimate aspiration for a state of their own and to be able to achieve prosperity, and that is something that has been a bipartisan position as well going back to John Howard who said there could be no peace in the Middle East, without dealing with the Palestinian question.'
ABC News
19 minutes ago
- ABC News
PM labels Gaza a 'humanitarian catastrophe' and reaffirms aspiration for Palestinian statehood
The prime minister has labelled the conflict in Gaza a "humanitarian catastrophe", while reaffirming an existing commitment to a two-state solution. France has announced it will formally recognise Palestine later this year, becoming the largest and most influential European nation to do so. In some of his strongest language on the conflict yet, Anthony Albanese said the conflict has gone "beyond the world's worst fears". "Gaza is in the grip of a humanitarian catastrophe. Israel's denial of aid and the killing of civilians, including children, seeking access to water and food, cannot be defended or ignored," he said. It follows Australia joining 27 other countries in a joint statement earlier this week demanding an immediate end to the war. Israel labelled those joint calls "disconnected from reality", arguing the attention of those countries should be focused on the actions of Hamas. Australia does not recognise a Palestinian state, instead referring officially to the West Bank and Gaza as the "Occupied Palestinian Territories", though it does have diplomatic ties with the Palestinian Authority. The new comments from Mr Albanese do not refer directly to France's moves to recognise Palestine, but point to Australia's long-standing ambitions around recognition. "Recognising the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for a state of their own has long been a bipartisan position in Australia," he said. "The reason a two-state solution remains the goal of the international community is because a just and lasting peace depends upon it. "Australia is committed to a future where both the Israeli and Palestinian peoples can live in peace and safety, within secure and internationally recognised borders."
News.com.au
25 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Anthony Albanese demands Israel to stop aid blockade to Gaza, calls for urgent action
Anthony Albanese has made his strongest demand to Israel to date, urging the Netanyahu government to 'immediately' stop the blockage of aid in Gaza, with the Prime Minister stating the situation ' has gone beyond the world's worst fears'. In what was his strongest comments to date, Mr Albanese said the conflict had 'stolen far too many innocent lives,' and Israel's actions could no longer be 'defended or ignored'. 'Gaza is in the grip of a humanitarian catastrophe. Israel's denial of aid and the killing of civilians, including children, seeking access to water and food cannot be defended or ignored,' he said in a statement issued on Friday. 'We call on Israel to comply immediately with its obligations under international law. 'This includes allowing the United Nations and NGOs to carry out their lifesaving work safely and without hindrance. 'Any proposals for the permanent forced displacement of the Palestinian population must be abandoned.' Earlier in the week, Australia was one of 27 countries, including the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada and France, which condemned Israel's 'drip feeding of aid' and the 'inhumane killing' of Palestinians. Signatories said they were also 'prepared to take further action to support an immediate ceasefire and a political pathway to security and peace for Israelis, Palestinians and the entire region'. In recent days the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has said one in every five children are malnourished, with its frontline health workers surviving on just one small meal a day. It says more than 6000 aid trucks carrying food and medicine have been blocked from entering Gaza. World Health Organisation chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has also described the situation in Gaza as a 'man-made mass starvation,' with the Gaza health ministry stating at least 111 people had died from starvation. On Friday, the US also confirmed it had withdrawn from the ceasefire talks between Israel in Qatar, with Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff blaming Hamas. Mr Albanese condemned the 'terror and brutality of Hamas' and reiterated calls for the 'immediate release of the remaining hostages'. He also confirmed Australia still supported a two-state solution, and was 'proud' to support the modern state of Israel' while also 'recognising the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people'. 'The reason a two-state solution remains the goal of the international community is because a just and lasting peace depends upon it,' he said. 'Australia is committed to a future where both the Israeli and Palestinian peoples can live in peace and safety, within secure and internationally recognised borders. 'Until that day, every effort must be made here and now to safeguard innocent life and end the suffering and starvation of the people of Gaza.' Coalition foreign affairs spokeswoman Michaelia Cash said that while the opposition agreed that Israel needed to 'urgently' resume aid delivery into Gaza, Mr Albanese's response should have placed more direct blame on Hamas. She added that Hamas could 'end the suffering of the people of Gaza by freeing the remaining Israeli hostages and laying down their weapons'. 'It is disappointing that Prime Minister Albanese's statement about Gaza once again fails to place any blame on Hamas, a listed terrorist organisation, for the delays in aid reaching the people of Gaza,' she said. 'Any moral outrage about the situation in Gaza should be directed at Hamas. Hamas and its allies have tried to disrupt the flow of aid into Gaza and have stolen humanitarian aid for their own purposes. 'This war began because of Hamas's abhorrent attack on Israeli civilians, where over 1200 were murdered in cold blood, and they bear responsibility for the continuation of this conflict.' Mr Albanese's statement also follows a chaotic start to the 48th parliament, with hundreds of protesters gathering on the lawns of parliament calling for a tougher response against Israel. A protest which erupted in Parliament House's public Marble Hall resulted in police detaining and removing 17 people. ACT Policing has also confirmed that they will be issued with formal banning notices at a later date. Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi was also sanctioned for holding up a sign which read: 'Prime minister, Gaza is starving, will you sanction Israel?' during Governor-General Sam Mostyn's address to parliament. The NSW senator has now been banned from participating in overseas parliamentary delegations of the remainder of the 48th parliamentary term.
