Australia joins UK, Germany, Italy and New Zealand in condemning Israel's planned Gaza City takeover
Wong joined the foreign ministers of Germany, Italy, New Zealand and the United Kingdom in a joint statement on Saturday, saying the plans by Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to control Gaza City will make already perilous situation worse.
They said the 'worst-case scenario' of mass famine was already unfolding in Gaza.
'The plans that the government of Israel has announced risk violating international humanitarian law. Any attempts at annexation or of settlement extension violate international law,' the statement said.
'It will aggravate the catastrophic humanitarian situation, endanger the lives of the hostages, and further risk the mass displacement of civilians.'
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Netanyahu's war cabinet on Friday went against advice of Israel's military leaders to agree on a further escalation in the 22-month war, planning a full takeover of Gaza's largest city that islikely to result in mass displacement of an estimated 1 million Palestinians.
The moves sparked international outrage.
Germany's government quickly moved to suspended the delivery of weapons that could be used in the fighting. The plan has not been opposed by US President Donald Trump, Netanyahu's strongest backer internationally.
Wong and her counterparts said terror group Hamas and the Israeli government should work with the international community to end the war, through an immediate and permanent ceasefire.
Such a development must enable the provision of a massive, immediate and unimpeded humanitarian assistance, 'as the worst-case scenario of a famine is unfolding in Gaza'.
'Hamas must release all hostages without further delay or precondition and must ensure they are humanely treated and not subject to cruelty and humiliation,' the statement said.
'We call on the government of Israel to urgently find solutions to amend its recent registration system of international humanitarian organisations, to ensure these vital actors of humanitarian aid can continue their essential work again in line with humanitarian principles to reach the civilians in need in Gaza.
'Their exclusion would be an egregious signal.'
Hamas said in a statement that Netanyahu's plans meant he had abandoned the surviving hostages seized by the group in its surprise attack on Israel in October 2023, which triggered the war. The statement accused the Israeli prime minister of 'sacrificing them to serve his personal interests and extremist ideological agenda'.
Countries including Australia have called for a political solution in Gaza that does not involve any of the Hamas leadership. Israel said it wanted to eventually hand control of Gaza over to a group of friendly Arab forces who are opposed to Hamas.
Netanyahu has released a list of five key objectives for the escalated fighting: disarming Hamas, returning all hostages, demilitarising the entire Gaza Strip, taking security control of the territory, and establishing 'an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority'.
Wong on Friday said Israel should not go down its planned path, and said permanent forced displacement would be a violation of international law.
But frequent statements from world leaders appear not to be deterring Israel.
Netanyahu's office told international media the Israeli army would prepare to 'take control of Gaza City while distributing humanitarian assistance to the civilian population outside combat zones'.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is expected to discuss the war during a meeting with his New Zealand counterpart, Christopher Luxon, in Queenstown on Saturday.
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The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Thousands in Tel Aviv protest against Netanyahu's plan to escalate Gaza war
Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Tel Aviv on Saturday night to oppose Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to escalate the Gaza war. A day earlier, the Israeli prime minister's office said the security cabinet had decided to seize Gaza City, expanding military operations in the devastated Palestinian territory despite widespread public opposition and warnings from the military the move could endanger the hostages. Saturday's demonstration in Tel Aviv attracted more than 100,000 protesters, according to organisers. Attenders demanded an immediate end to the military campaign and for the release of hostages. 'This isn't just a military decision. It could be a death sentence for the people we love most,' Lishay Miran Lavi, the wife of hostage Omri Miran, told the rally, pleading Donald Trump to intervene to immediately end the war. Public opinion polls show an overwhelming majority of Israelis favour an immediate end to the war to secure the release of the remaining 50 hostages held by militants in Gaza. Israeli officials believe about 20 hostages are still alive. The Israeli government has faced sharp criticism at home and abroad, including from some of its closest European allies, over the announcement that the military would expand the war. The full cabinet is expected to give its approval as soon as Sunday. Most of the hostages who have been freed emerged as a result of diplomatic negotiations. Talks toward a ceasefire that could have seen more hostages released collapsed in July. 'They (the government) are fanatic. They are doing things against the interests of the country,' said Rami Dar, 69-year-old retiree, who travelled from a nearby suburb outside Tel Aviv, echoing calls for Trump to force a deal for the hostages. Tel Aviv has seen frequent rallies urging the government to reach a ceasefire and hostage deal with Hamas, which ignited the war with their October 2023 attack. 'Frankly, I'm not an expert or anything, but I feel that after two years of fighting there has been no success,' said Yana, 45, who attended the rally with her husband and two children. 'I wonder whether additional lives for both sides, not just the Israelis but also Gazans, will make any difference.' About 1,200, mostly Israelis, were killed and 251 were taken into Gaza during Hamas' attack on Israel on 7 October, 2023. More than 400 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since. Protesters waved Israeli flags and carried placards bearing the images of hostages. Others held signs directing anger at the government or urging Trump to take action to stop Netanyahu from moving forward with plans to escalate the war. A small number of protesters held images of children killed by the military in Gaza. Israel's military has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians in the war, according to Gaza's health ministry, which said on Saturday that at least 39 had been killed in the past day. Some of the prime minister's far-right coalition allies have been pushing for a total takeover of Gaza. The military has warned this could endanger the lives of the hostages in Gaza. Far-right minister Bezalel Smotrich, a proponent of continuing the war, issued a statement on Saturday criticising Netanyahu and calling for the annexation of large parts of Gaza. Netanyahu told Fox News in an interview that aired on Thursday that the military intended to take control of all Gaza but that Israel did not want to keep the territory. The announcement from the prime minister's office early on Friday said the military would take Gaza City, but did not explicitly say if Israeli forces would take all the territory. Tal, a 55-year-old high school teacher, told Reuters at the rally in Tel Aviv that expanding the war was 'terrible,' warning it would result in the deaths of soldiers and hostages. They said the war should end with the military withdrawing: 'We don't have anything to do there. It's not ours.'
Sky News
2 hours ago
- Sky News
Gaza 'injured his soul': Israeli soldier died by suicide two days before he was due to return to duty
Why you can trust Sky News When your son is risking his life fighting in Gaza, you don't expect to hear news he's been killed on a rest period at home. Eliran Mizrahi had served 187 days as a reservist in Gaza since 8 October, before he died by suicide in June last year. His mother Jenny has turned Eliran's childhood bedroom into a shrine. The 40-year-old's combat vest hanging on the wall still has sand in it from Gaza. The cap he was wearing when he died, sits just above it on a shelf laden with memories of his life. Israel is seeing a wave of soldiers like Eliran taking their own lives - five died by suicide just last month. IDF (Israel Defence Forces) investigations have found it is what they have seen and done in Gaza that are the cause, according to reports by the Israeli public broadcaster. Eliran's mother told Sky News her son returned from Gaza a changed man and she fears there will be many more suicides among Israeli soldiers. "He never left Gaza in his mind," says Jenny. "When he came back he couldn't go back to work. He was a great father with a lot of patience. And he lost his patience with his children, with people. "He was very silent. He didn't sleep at night, he had nightmares. We didn't know anything about it. He didn't speak. Whenever we asked him he said everything is okay." Jenny describes Eliran as someone who was happy and friends with everyone. A father of four "with a big heart" and a big smile. But his experience of the war "injured his soul". Initially, he was deployed to clear bodies of people slaughtered by Hamas at the Nova Festival on 7 October and then deployed to Gaza a day later. Eliran was active on social media and shared videos of his time in Gaza. He was commander of a unit of D9 bulldozers that destroyed buildings and tunnel shafts. After his death, his D9 partner, Guy Zaken, told a parliamentary committee they were often shot at and they ran over hundreds of bodies. Yet they filmed themselves smiling and singing to send to their families. Eliran shared some of those videos on social media. Israel has levelled vast parts of Gaza. Eliran's actions were part of a systematic campaign the UN says has damaged or destroyed over 90% of Gaza's homes. Human rights experts warn this could be a war crime. Eliran was pulled out of Gaza after he sustained knee injuries in an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) attack on his bulldozer. 'The bodies and the blood' He was later diagnosed with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) - we don't know the cause of his trauma but in the end he couldn't live with it. Two days before he was due to return to active duty, he took his own life. "What he saw over there in Gaza injured his soul. You see all the bodies over there and all the blood. It hurts your soul," says Eliran's mother. Israeli media is reporting at least 18 soldiers have taken their own lives so far this year. Thousands are suffering with PTSD. And more and more reservists are quietly refusing to turn up for duty. The IDF says supporting its service members is a top priority and it invests significant resources in doing so, including deploying mental health officers in all military units. Tuly Flint was one of those officers. A clinical social worker and expert in trauma therapy in his professional life, and a lieutenant colonel in the military reserves, he was deployed to offer psychological support to troops who served in Gaza. Last year, after treating many soldiers and becoming exposed to the extreme suffering of Gazans, Tuly came to the conclusion the war had no purpose and it was a crime against humanity. So he refused to continue to serve in the IDF. "At the beginning of the war what we usually saw was simple PTSD. People who talk about the horrors they saw in the first few weeks with the massacre of Hamas," says Tuly. "But since the second month of the war, people started talking about what takes place on the Palestinian side. "Even people that were not talking about Palestinians' rights, or anything like that, they started talking about the fact that they saw bodies of children, of old people, of women." 'You think, are they lying to me' I asked Tuly how soldiers feel hearing Benjamin Netanyahu 's narrative that there is no starvation in Gaza - that the images we see are a lie. The Israeli military bears witness to what is happening in Gaza in a way most of the world, including international journalists, still can't. "When you hear your government and your commanders telling things that are not true, you start thinking, are they lying to me also?" says Tuly. "When you hear your prime minister lying about things that you saw in Gaza, things that you did ... people talk about torching houses, people talk about a 'deadline' - not a metaphor - a deadline when people cross they will be killed no matter if they are children or women ... they see people starving and they also see the chaos." 2:20 After nearly two years of war, the human cost is weighing heavily on Israeli society. A majority of Israelis now believe that only a deal, not military pressure, will bring the remaining hostages home. And the humanitarian crisis unfolding just across the border is becoming a source of public unease. Former military and intelligence chiefs are also now against the war. The Commanders for Israel's Security group (CIS) has argued, in its professional judgement, "Hamas no longer poses a strategic threat to Israel" - and has written to Donald Trump asking him to compel Benjamin Netanyahu to end the war. Tuly Flint says there's an erosion of trust between soldiers and those leading them. "When you come back home and you hear so many people - former chiefs of staff, former heads of the security bodies of Israel - saying 'this war has no aim anymore' ... you say to yourself: 'I hear from former chiefs of staff that I'm killing hostages by waging war and my government is still sending me there?' "When you see the pictures that you've seen with your own eyes and your government says 'no this is a lie, no this is propaganda', this makes you distrust everyone. And when you distrust everyone, why would you ask for help?" The mental and moral burden on soldiers could be about to grow. Despite strong objections from the IDF's chief of staff, Israel is expanding military operations in Gaza with plans to take control of the entire territory. We understand that references to suicide in any context can be difficult for some people. We provide details of support available from the Samaritans where any such references are included. You can find these here: call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@ in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.
Glasgow Times
3 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Woman wearing Palestine Action T-shirt arrested in Belfast
It comes after the British Government in July made expressing support for or being a member of Palestine Action a criminal offence under terrorism legislation. In London, about 365 people were arrested for supporting the banned group after protesters gathered in Parliament Square on Saturday. People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll (Claudia Savage/PA) In Belfast, videos shared online show a woman wearing a Palestine Action T-shirt being told by police officers she was being arrested on suspicion of 'possessing an article, namely a sign or T-shirt, that indicates support for Palestine Action'. Northern Ireland director of Amnesty International UK, Patrick Corrigan, said the protester's arrest was 'outrageous'. 'Peaceful protest is a basic human right,' he said. 'Many people are justifiably angered by the ongoing genocide in Gaza and are concerned about UK complicity. Under international human rights law, they have every right to voice their concerns. 'The individual who joined a Refugees Welcome rally in Belfast was not promoting violence, and it is wholly disproportionate for the PSNI to treat her as a terrorist. 'UK terrorism laws pose a serious risk to free expression. Rather than targeting peaceful protesters, the Government should be taking swift and decisive measures to end Israel's genocide.' Belfast MLA Gerry Carroll condemned police action against pro-Palestine activists. He called on Executive ministers to 'speak up for the right to protest' and dismiss any charges people may face. 'The whole world can see the mass starvation and daily executions carried out by Israel, yet the people being harassed in Belfast are those who stand up for Palestine,' Mr Carroll said. 'On the same day we saw far-right protesters with offensive and provocative signage, including pro-Israel items, the police took it upon themselves to arrest activists for having the temerity to wear items of clothing in solidarity action. 'The British Government implemented a regressive clampdown with their vote to proscribe Palestine Action, without a single vote being cast in the local Assembly.' Sinn Fein MLA for West Belfast Pat Sheehan said the British Government and PSNI's actions were 'disgraceful'. 'While Keir Starmer continues to enable the ongoing Israeli genocide and starvation of Gazans, he is also moving to silence ordinary, decent people for speaking out,' he said. 'Just yesterday, (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu announced his intention to seize Gaza City. 'Yet still, Starmer provides cover for this rogue regime, instead targeting activists for highlighting what should be a universal moral outrage. 'Like all previous censorship attempts by the British Government, which is totally out of step with the wider public, this too will fail. 'Highlighting the ongoing devastation in Gaza is not a crime. The real crime is Israel's policy of ethnic cleansing and genocide, aided and abetted by the US and Britain.' The PSNI has been contacted for comment.
