'A one-year-old-boy is not a Hamas fighter. The civilian casualties and death in Gaza is completely unacceptable,' says Albanese
The Australian prime minister said that Israel is "quite clearly" breaching international law by withholding aid from civilians in Gaza, local broadcaster ABC reported on Sunday.
Anthony Albanese made the remarks during an interview on the ABC’s Insiders program, describing the scenes of devastation in Gaza as "completely indefensible."
"We have rules of engagement and they are there for a reason. They are to stop innocent lives being lost. … Quite clearly, it is a breach of international law to stop food being delivered, which was a decision that Israel made in March," he said.
"International law says that you can't hold innocent people responsible for what is a conflict," he added.
About France's move this week on recognizing a Palestinian state, the prime minister noted that Australia does not intend to follow suit "imminently," while signaling openness to doing so if certain conditions were met to ensure the state’s sustainability.
“We won't do any decision as a gesture, we will do it as a way forward if the circumstances are met,” Albanese said.
"Is the time right now? Are we about to imminently do that? No, we are not. … But we will engage constructively."
Albanese further emphasized that any viable two-state solution must also address "arrangements as well about the rebuilding of Gaza and the West Bank (and) will need the issue of settlements to resolve."
He reiterated his concern over civilian suffering, saying: "A one-year-old-boy is not a Hamas fighter. The civilian casualties and death in Gaza is completely unacceptable. It's completely indefensible."
Israel has killed more than 59,700 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in the Gaza Strip since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, collapsed the health system, and led to severe food shortages.
Gaza is enduring one of the worst humanitarian crises in its history, where severe famine is compounded by the closure of border crossings and ban on food and medicine since March 2.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
