Prime Minister seeking call with Benjamin Netanyahu
Hamas to coordinate with Red Cross on aid delivery to hostages, if Israel complies with conditions
Lando Norris ousts McLaren teammate for Hungarian Grand Prix victory Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts . The Assistant Minister on Foreign Affairs and Trade says the Prime Minister is seeking a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week. Matt Thistlethwaite told Sky News the matter is being escalated. The federal government has announced aid for Gaza will be increased by an extra $20 million today, hours after tens of thousands walked across the Sydney Harbour Bridge yesterday in protest over the ongoing war in Gaza. Liberal Senator Jane Hume says she was disappointed in the images of protesters in Sydney and Melbourne yesterday, saying the demonstrations were disruptive. Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles says he understands why so many people took part in the marches.
"It was a very powerful statement to see the multitudes of people across the Sydney Harbour Bridge in particular. Australians are rightly appalled by the tragedy that they see unfolding on their screens in Gaza. It is a tragedy that we all want to see stop. It is why the government has been calling for a ceasefire for a very long period of time. It is also why we have been increasing our humanitarian assistance."
The Australian Defence Force added more than 7-thousand to its full-time workforce in the last financial year. It is the highest annual intake in more than 15 years, and a 17 per cent increase from 2023. However, that number was still below the target for that period by 1,046 personnel. The federal government has a goal to reach 69,000 permanent defence force personnel by the early 2030s - and has introduced targeted measures to address the number of those leaving [[including relaxed entry requirements and $40,000 retention bonuses. Defence Minister Richard Marles says the measures have proven to be effective in seeing the size of the defence grow for the first time in almost four years, reversing a downward trend.
"And the Defence Force is once again growing. And that is great news for the nation. But as good as that news is - our challenge is not just about keeping the defence force numbers that we're at. As important as it is to steady the ship (have retention). We have ambitions to grow the defence force through the backend of this decade and into the 2030s. And so, we know there is a lot more to do."
Hamas says it is prepared to coordinate with the Red Cross to deliver aid to hostages it holds in Gaza, if Israel meets certain conditions. The remarks come after Hamas released videos showing Israeli hostages and their physical condition, which has drawn strong criticism from Western countries. Hamas says any coordination with the Red Cross is contingent upon Israel permanently opening humanitarian corridors and halting air strikes during the distribution of aid. According to Israeli officials, 50 hostages now remain in Gaza, with 20 believed to be alive. Ilay is the brother of hostage Evyatar David, shown in one of the videos. He says there must be immediate action to secure the release of the hostages held by Hamas.
"They must take care of the hostages right now, to bring them sufficient food, provide urgent medical treatment. They have to do it now because the hostages are dying. The world must demand an agreement that will bring all the hostages home now, without any conditions, immediately."
Police are appealing for any information that could help solve cases of missing persons in Australia during National Missing Persons week. In its 37th year, the week draws attention to around 2,700 Australians who are among the long-term missing. The Australian Federal Police is working with state and territory police to highlight the cases of several missing people, including Heather Marks, who went missing 42 years ago in Sydney. Heather's granddaughter, Natalie Jackson, is urging anyone who may know more about him or her grandmother's disappearance – to come forward.
"On the 13th of April, Heather went missing last seen walking along Glover St, Rozelle, heading towards Leichhardt pool. If you were that day and know anything - no matter how small - I urge you to come forward. To the rest of Australia, she may be a missing person, but to us she is family. And we missing her dearly. A long-term missing person case brings immense emotional distress. For families, it is an endless journey of uncertainty marked by sadness, guilt and anger. Yet there is always a flicker of hope that one day we will have answers."
In Formula One, Lando Norris held off McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri to win the Hungarian Grand Prix. Norris completed 39 of the 70 laps on a single set of hard tyres, while Piastri stopped twice and closed a 12-second gap to less than one second [[just 0.6 seconds]] at the finish. The result reduces the Australian's Formula One lead to nine points going into the August break. Norris says he wasn't expecting to win. "I didn't expect from that position to be that much quicker than Oscar. So our only option was to try and convert into a one (one-stop strategy). Still, I wasn't expecting it to work out. It was more 'let's give it a good shot, let's commit to that'. My strengths are definitely in pace, longevity of tyre - that kind of thing. And today, I utilised that to every possible tenth of a second. And it worked out." Piastri says the final moments of the race were tense. "Very stressful. Yeah, I think I could close the gap relatively quickly but that last second and a half, two seconds were incredibly tough. I just could not get close enough to put a move on from there. So close, very close."
The win is Norris's fifth of the season, and third in the last four, to Piastri's six. It was also McLaren's seventh one-two in 14 races.
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The Australian
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