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Albanese says Israel must protect innocent civilians
By Angus Thompson
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Israel must do all it can to ensure innocent civilians aren’t paying the price for Hamas’ attacks.
Speaking during a question-and-answer session following his speech at the Economic and Social Outlook Conference in Melbourne, the Prime Minister repeated previous rhetoric that while Israel had a right to defend itself following the October 7 attack, how it did so mattered.
He said Israel was “obligated to do all that it can to ensure that innocent civilians are not paying the price of Hamas’s atrocities.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese addressing an economic and social forum in Melbourne today.Credit: Simon Schluter
Blasts heard near al-Quds hospital, as UN says refugee camp strikes could be war crimes
By Caitlin Fitzsimmons
Turning now to an update on events in the Middle East, it’s nearly 5.30am on Thursday morning in Gaza and residents are waking up to more bombardment.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said explosions were heard early this morning near the al-Quds hospital in densely populated Gaza City.
Palestinians search for survivors following an Israeli airstrike in the Jabaliya refugee camp.Credit: Getty
Israeli authorities had previously warned the hospital to evacuate immediately, which United Nations officials said was impossible without endangering patients.
Gaza’s Hamas-run government said at least 195 Palestinians died in Israel’s attacks earlier this week on the Jabalia refugee camp, with 120 missing under the rubble and 777 wounded.
Israel said its strikes on Tuesday and Wednesday killed two Hamas military leaders in Jabalia, Gaza’s biggest refugee camp. Israel said the group had command centres and other “terror infrastructure under, around and within civilian buildings, intentionally endangering Gazan civilians”.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights wrote on social media site X that the airstrikes on the refugee camp could be war crimes.
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says at least 8805 Palestinians in the narrow coastal enclave, including 3,650 children, have been killed by Israeli strikes since October 7.
These figures are yet to be independently verified, but most media organisations rely on them because they have proven to be reliable in the past.
The Israeli military said one soldier was killed in Gaza on Wednesday and 15 on Tuesday. Over 1400 Israelis have died since October 7, mostly civilians in the initial attack by Hamas. The Iron Dome missile defence system has probably prevented more Israeli deaths from Hamas rockets fired at Israel.
Reuters
Watch: The woman who heckled Biden about a ceasefire
By Caitlin Fitzsimmons
We reported earlier that US President Joe Biden called for a humanitarian pause in the Israel-Hamas war after he was heckled by a woman calling for a ceasefire.
More details have emerged about the woman, who interrupted his speech at a fundraising event in Minneapolis, to say: “Mr President, if you care about Jewish people, as a rabbi, I need you to call for a ceasefire.”
Other attendees shouted her down and she was escorted out by security.
She told reporters her name was Rabbi Jessica Rosenberg and video of the incident was quickly shared on social media, including X (formerly Twitter).
Rosenberg has written articles such as “Jews and White Privilege” and “The Case for Divestment” for Evolve, a Reconstructionist Jewish website.
Her author biography says Rosenberg is a Reconstructionist rabbi who lives in South Minneapolis, as well as a national organiser at Bend the Arc: Jewish Action and a collective member of the Radical Jewish Calendar project.
Reconstructionist Judaism is based on the teachings of Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan in the 1920s that Judaism itself—its structure, beliefs, rituals, customs and culture—must be “reconstructed” in each generation to renew its relevance and ensure its sustainability. It sees Judaism as an evolving civilisation rather than just a religion.
The coach bound for Cairo waiting for Australians at the Rafah crossing
By Caitlin Fitzsimmons
Staying on the evacuation of Australians from the Gaza Strip, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has released images of its officials helping people board a coach from the Egypt-Gaza border to Cairo.
The government earlier confirmed that consular officials had met 23 people registered with DFAT, including 20 Australian citizens, after they successfully crossed at Rafah from Gaza into Egypt.
DFAT officials assisting Australians to travel to Cairo from the Rafah border crossing at the southern end of the Gaza Strip.
A bus waiting to take Australians from the border of the Gaza Strip and Egypt to Cairo.
Australian man returns to Gaza after wife blocked at Egyptian border
By James Massola
The son of an Australian man trapped in Gaza has revealed his father chose to turn around and head back into the war-torn territory because his wife was blocked from crossing into Egypt.
Australian man Adallah Dahalaan, 77, has remained in Gaza after his wife, an Australian visa holder, was prevented from leaving Gaza at the Rafah crossing.
Sydney man Shaher Dahlan told this masthead that his 77-year-old father, Abdallah Dahalaan, holds an Australian passport and had been cleared to cross into Egypt.
However, Dahalaan’s wife Samah Dahalan – who is an Australian visa holder and who had been cleared to cross too by the Australian government – was blocked from crossing at the border and so Abdallah had made the difficult decision to remain behind in Gaza with his wife.
Shaher Dahlan said he had received advice that either Egypt or Israel had stopped his father’s wife from crossing the border.
“It’s quite alarming that someone other than an elected Australian official can make decisions about who can enter Australia,” he said.
“A ministerial order has been made. Samah has her visa. She has a right of safe passage into Australia.
“But some foreign element has intervened and vetoed that order, preventing her from crossing. I would like to know, who has such a right of veto. Who should I be lobbying?”
Israeli ministers at odds over Palestinian tax payout
Israel’s defence and finance ministers have clashed over whether some West Bank tax revenues should be transferred to the Palestinian Authority, underlining the tensions straining the government as Israeli forces push on with the war in Gaza.
Defence Minister Yoav Gallant called for tax revenues collected by Israel on behalf of the Palestinians in parts of the West Bank under direct Israeli control, to be disbursed without delay.
“The State of Israel is interested in maintaining stability in Judea and Samaria, always and especially during these times,” Gallant said in televised remarks, using the term used by many in Israel to refer to the West Bank, where there has been a sharp rise in violence since the war with Hamas began three weeks ago.
Tyres burning behind the Israeli separation barrier in Ramallah, West Bank.Credit: Bloomberg
“The funds should be transferred immediately so that these may be used by the operational mechanism of the Palestinian Authority and by the sectors of the Palestinian Authority that are dealing with the prevention of terrorism,” he said.
“I think it is only appropriate to uphold the decision of the cabinet as decided several days ago,” he said.
Under interim peace accords, Israel’s Finance Ministry collects tax on behalf of the Palestinians and makes monthly transfers to the PA, which has limited self rule in the occupied West Bank, but there have been constant wrangles over the arrangement.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, whose hardline religious nationalist party has strong support among Jewish settlers in the West Bank responded that Gallant was making a “serious mistake” in demanding the release of the funds.
Smotrich had already said he would oppose a payout of the funds, which go to pay for public sector salaries and other government expenditure, accusing Palestinians in the West Bank of supporting the deadly Hamas attack on Israel on October 7.
Reuters
Biden calls for a ‘humanitarian pause’
By Caitlin Fitzsimmons
Good afternoon, this is Caitlin Fitzsimmons, and I am your host for the rest of the afternoon. Thank you for tuning in.
Turning now to the United States, where President Joe Biden has called for a “humanitarian pause” in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
US President Joe Biden arriving in Minneapolis.Credit: AP
Biden was speaking to a crowd of supporters in Minneapolis on Wednesday evening (Minnesota time) about his reasons for running for president in 2020 when a woman got up and yelled: “Mr. President, if you care about Jewish people, as a rabbi, I need you to call for a ceasefire.”
His presence in the city drew more than 1000 demonstrators not far from where the fundraiser was held, and they carried Palestinian flags and signs that said: “Stop Bombing Children,” “Free Palestine” and “Ceasefire now.”
The demonstrator was quickly shouted down by others in the room and removed. But Biden said he understood the emotions motivating her. “I think we need a pause,” he said.
Biden added when asked that a pause “means give time to get the prisoners out”. White House officials later clarified he meant hostages and humanitarian aid.
The White House and Biden have been pushing Israel and Egypt to facilitate more humanitarian aid into Gaza.
However, they have also said they would not dictate how the Israelis carry out their military operations in response to the October 7 attack by Hamas.
Australia has previously called for a humanitarian pause to allow aid into Gaza. An Israeli MP told this masthead this would be akin to asking the US to provide supplies to al-Qaeda after the September 11 terrorist attacks.
With AP
Where we stand at midday
By Olivia Ireland
Thanks for joining the blog so far, my colleague Caitlin Fitzsimmons will be taking over this afternoon. For now, here’s what made headlines this morning:
- Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Tim Watts confirmed 23 people registered with DFAT, including 20 Australian citizens, have made the Rafah crossing from Gaza into Egypt.
- An Adelaide family, with children aged seven and 10, is among those who have crossed from Gaza into Egypt, telling this masthead through an email they were “too exhausted to say/type more now” as they will be in Cairo in a few hours.
- The World Health Organisation says the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital – the main cancer centre in Gaza – is no longer functional because of a lack of fuel and damage from airstrikes, calling for humanitarian aid.
- Communication and internet services are gradually being restored after the second major cut in five days, according to Paltel – the main telecommunications provider in Palestine.
- US President Joe Biden has told Benjamin Netanyahu that he believes the Israeli prime minister’s time in office may be nearing an end, US-based Politico reported, citing two administration officials, as well as two others familiar with the discussion.
- As questions mount over the end game for the war in Gaza, footage has emerged of a top Hamas political figure Ghazi Hamad pledging that the militant organisation would repeat the October 7 attacks against Israel “again and again”.
- Israel has deployed missile boats in the Red Sea as reinforcements, the military said in a statement, following long-range missile and drone attacks claimed by Yemen’s Houthis.
Palestinian ambulances arrive at the border crossing.Credit: AP
Calls intensify for ‘immediate and sustained humanitarian truce’: UN
By Olivia Ireland
In an emergency session, the United Nations general assembly has called for a humanitarian ceasefire and more humanitarian aid to reach civilians in Gaza.
During a meeting on Thursday, the 193-member body resumed its tenth emergency special session on the “illegal Israeli action in occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the occupied Palestinian territory”.
Palestinians look for survivors under the rubble of destroyed buildings following Israeli airstrikes.Credit: AP
Kuwait’s delegate stated today the ground invasion of Gaza had begun.
“Does the world still believe that what has been unfolding is in self-defence?” a representative said.
Representatives from Bahrain echoed this point, saying the number one priority should be for the protection of civilians on both sides.
“Such scenes of death and destruction can create entire generations filled with accumulated anger and thirst for vengeance,” a representative said.
Representatives of Greece called for the immediate release of all hostages taken by Hamas, noting “the catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza”.
Meanwhile the delegate from the Russian Federation called out the hypocrisy of the United States and its allies, noting they appeal for respect of international humanitarian law yet argue they keep pronouncing Israel’s right to self-defence.
“We do not deny Israel the right to fight terrorism. But fight the terrorists. Don’t fight the civilians,” a representative said.
Opposition mounts in Arab countries that normalised relations with Israel
Arab nations that have normalised or are considering improving relations with Israel are coming under growing public pressure to cut those ties because of Israel’s war with Hamas.
Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets of Rabat and other Moroccan cities in support of the Palestinians.
A rally in support of Palestine in Cairo’s Tahrir Square on October 20.Credit: Getty
In Bahrain – a country that almost never allows protests – police stood by as hundreds of people marched last month, waving flags and gathering in front of the Israeli embassy in Manama.
The demonstrations, which mirror protests across the Middle East, present an uncomfortable dilemma for governments that have enjoyed the benefits of closer military and economic ties with Israel in recent years.
In Egypt, which has had ties with Israel for decades, protesters rallied in cities and at universities, at times chanting “death to Israel”.
A parliamentary committee in Tunisia last week advanced a draft law that would criminalise normalisation with Israel.
In Morocco and Bahrain, the public anger has an additional dimension. Activists are demanding the reversal of agreements that formalise ties with Israel, underscoring discord between the governments and public opinion.
AP
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