Anthony Albanese has welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, saying Australia will continue pushing for a two-state solution and stressing the need for more humanitarian aid to arrive in the devastated Palestinian region.
Hamas and Israel agreed to a ceasefire deal, the mediator Qatar said on Thursday. The agreement was expected to be officially accepted by Israel after a cabinet meeting on Thursday. A first batch of 33 Israeli hostages captured by Hamas is expected to be released on Sunday in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli jails, and wounded people in Gaza will be allowed to leave for medical treatment.
The Australian prime minister and the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, welcomed the announcement, saying it came “after 15 months of conflict and a devastating loss of civilian life”.
“We urge all parties to respect its terms and safeguard a lasting peace, including ensuring the immediate release of all hostages and unimpeded and sustained increases in humanitarian assistance to all parts of Gaza,” they said in a statement.
“Our thoughts are with all the civilians killed, displaced and taken hostage in this conflict, and the many humanitarian workers who lost their lives in the service of others.
“This agreement is a constructive step towards peace and stability in the region. It must mark the beginning of a new chapter for the Israeli and Palestinian people. Australia will continue working with the international community towards a two-state solution – a Palestinian state and the State of Israel, living side by side in peace and security within internationally recognised borders.
“We hope it will allow the Palestinian people the opportunity to rebuild, reform their governance and pursue self-determination.”
More than 46,000 Palestinians have been reported killed in the conflict, which has also caused a humanitarian catastrophe and laid waste to most of Gaza’s infrastructure. The international court of justice is studying claims that Israel has committed genocide.
About 1,200 Israelis were killed on 7 October 2023, and another 250 taken hostage. One hundred were freed in exchange for 240 women and children held in Israeli jails in a ceasefire deal stuck in November 2023 that collapsed after a week.
Albanese and Wong stressed their “unequivocal” condemnation of “Hamas’ atrocities on 7 October, and its ongoing acts of terror”, and reiterated the government’s long-running position that there must be no role for Hamas in the future governance of Gaza.
“Any future Palestinian state must not be in a position to threaten Israel’s security,” they said.
“We will continue to act in partnership with the international community to support the urgent humanitarian needs of the people of Gaza.”
The federal attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, is currently visiting Israel on a diplomatic trip. On Thursday he posted a photo on social media of himself meeting with families of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas.
“Today I met with Ella and Daniel in Tel Aviv. Both had family members taken as hostages by Hamas terrorists on 7 October 2023. 467 days later they speak for all of us when they demand the return of all hostages to their families. The ceasefire must make that a reality,” he wrote on X.
The Liberal senator Dave Sharma, a former Australian ambassador to Israel, also welcomed the developments.
“Growing pressure on Hamas and its allies has brought this about. Importantly, the deal will lead to the release of some of the hostages and greater humanitarian assistance to flow to Gaza,” he wrote on X.
“Hamas should immediately release all remaining hostages.”
The Greens leader, Adam Bandt, said civilian deaths from Israel’s military operation in Gaza were preventable and said the federal government should have pushed harder to oppose Israel’s actions.
“Australia could have played a very strong role in pushing for not only an end to the invasion but a permanent end to the occupation,” he said on ABC radio.
“There are some big issues here that have to be resolved in order for Palestinians and Israelis to have a just and lasting peace that’s based on their rights to self-determination, and that’s got to start with an end to the occupation.”
Asked on Wednesday about the prospect of a ceasefire, the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, again focused on his criticisms of the government’s dealings with Israel.
“Certainly we’d support a ceasefire but we need to make sure that the hostages are released and we need to make sure that a terrorist organisation is not being rewarded,” he said.
“We have, in our country, a very strong relationship historically with Israel. Obviously the problem at the moment is that the government hasn’t seen fit to prioritise that relationship … they are the only democracy in the Middle East and they deserve our support, and we should be providing whatever support we can to Israel and certainly to people of Jewish heritage in our country as well.”
