Pro-Palestine protesters gather at Parliament House as pollies return
The protesters are holding what appear to be shrouded baby dolls as they wave Palestinian flags and placards calling on the Albanese government to 'sanction Israel now'.
'28 children killed daily in Gaza,' another placard read.
The demonstration is at the back entrance to Parliament House, where Anthony Albanese and his son, Nathan, had walked up just a day earlier.
The Prime Minister will also need to pass them on his way in to open parliament.
Tuesday's protest comes after Australia joined 25 other countries in calling for an immediate end to the war in Gaza, lashing Israel for 'the drip-feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians'.
Foreign journalists are not allowed into the war-torn Palestinian territory, leaving media to rely on death toll figures put out by the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry.
According to figures from the ministry, more than 55,000 Palestinians have been killed in the 21-month conflict – a count that stacks up with independent monitors and international aid workers, who have said children are suffering the most.
In a joint statement issued overnight, Australia stood with the likes of Canada, New Zealand and the UK demanding that 'the war in Gaza must end now'.
'The suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths,' the statement said.
'The Israeli government's aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity.
'We condemn the drip-feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food.
'It is horrifying that over 800 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid.'
The countries went on to say Israel's 'denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable'.
'Israel must comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law,' the statement said.
The Israeli government, which launched its campaign in Gaza following Hamas' brutal October 7 terrorist attack in 2023, has rejected the statement, calling it 'disconnected from reality and sends the wrong message to Hamas'.
'All statements and all claims should be directed at the only party responsible for the lack of a deal for the release of hostages and a ceasefire: Hamas, which started this war and is prolonging it,' the Israeli foreign ministry.
'Instead of agreeing to a ceasefire, Hamas is busy running a campaign to spread lies about Israel.
'At the same time, Hamas is deliberately acting to increase friction and harm to civilians who come to receive humanitarian aid.'
Hamas militants killed more than 1200 people in the October 7 assault and took hundreds more hostage, including children.
It was the single worst mass killing of Jews since the Holocaust.
Many hostages have been released and rescued, while others have died in Hamas' hands.
At least 50 remain in captivity.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar took aim at the countries that issued the statement, saying the fact Hamas embraced their words 'is the best proof' they made a mistake.
'If Hamas embraces you – you are in the wrong place,' he posted on social media.
'Hamas's praise for the statement by the group of countries is the best proof of the mistake they made – part of them out of good intentions and part of them out of an obsession against Israel.
'We are at a very sensitive moment in the negotiations for the release of hostages and a ceasefire.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
12 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Chinese national charged with reckless foreign interference by Australian Federal Police
A woman has been charged by the Australian Federal Police with reckless foreign interference. The Chinese national was arrested under the Counter Foreign Interference Taskforce (CFITF) and charged with reckless foreign interference, contrary to section 92.3 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth). She is expected to appear in the ACT Magistrates Court on Monday. ​Assistant Commissioner Stephen Nutt of the AFP Counter Terrorism and Special Investigations is expected to address the media on Monday afternoon.
News.com.au
12 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Thousands of jobs at risk as Australian manufacturing sector faces collapse
Thousands of Australian manufacturing jobs, particularly in regional areas, face significant risk as China intensifies investments to bolster its own manufacturing industries, a new report warns. The research by the McKell Institute reveals approximately 73,000 jobs in Australian regions reliant on refining and smelting metals are vulnerable. The report highlights the town of Port Pirie in South Australia, where state ministers have called for a federal bailout to save its lead smelter, a crucial local employer. If the smelter closes, the report estimates the town's population could drop by around 2,000 people, roughly 11 per cent, as economically productive residents and their families relocate. 'South Australia simply cannot afford to lose industrial anchors such as the Port Pirie smelter – anchors that have sustained regional communities for generations,' McKell Institute chief executive Ed Cavanough said. 'Our analysis shows that if the Port Pirie smelter were to close, the town's population could drop by around 2,000 people – that's 11 per cent – in the first year alone.' The report claims China's 'aggressive' industrial subsidisation, now likely exceeding its defence spending, is a major driver behind the mounting pressure on Australia's refined metals sector. In 2019, China invested an estimated $407 billion in industrial subsidies, enabling it to produce refined metals at significantly lower costs and flood global markets with cheap products, the report said. 'In the short-term, China's geoeconomic strategy is designed to onshore as much global heavy industrial capacity as possible,' Mr Cavanough said. 'In the longer-term the strategic goal is limiting the viability of critical manufacturing in competitor economies, including Australia. 'This would create a huge long-term economic advantage for China, and hobble Australia's industrial capacity.' Mr Cavanough said other nations are actively responding to these challenges while Australia's current approach of reacting plant by plant is unsustainable. 'Currently, the government is playing industrial whack-a-mole – working with individual refiners to preserve individual plants as they come under threat,' he said. The report urges the Albanese Government to develop a cohesive national strategy to safeguard communities reliant on the industry.
Sky News AU
42 minutes ago
- Sky News AU
Australians ‘feel strongly' about Middle East conflict: Anthony Albanese
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Australians 'feel strongly' about the conflict in the Middle East. Mr Albanese's comments come after the large pro-Palestine protest in Sydney. 'Australians want people to stop killing each other.'
