Israel must be ‘very mindful’ of ‘huge humanitarian toll’ occurring in Gaza

Shadow Foreign Minister Simon Birmingham has urged Israel to be “very mindful of the huge humanitarian toll” that is occurring in Gaza and to “act with regard for international humanitarian law”. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has urged caution on Israel’s planned military offensive on Rafah. “It is important that Israel act with regard for international humanitarian law and be very mindful of the huge humanitarian toll that is occurring in Gaza,” Mr Birmingham told Sky News Australia. “We still wish very clearly to support Israel, to see Hamas disabled and believe that the best pathway to ceasefire would be for Hamas to release the remaining hostages. “It’s not a matter of whether I can sit here and say I support this action or that action; Israel needs to act with regard for international humanitarian law – they need to act with appropriate caution in terms of how they handle displaced people. “Ultimately, they need to ensure that they are conducting these operations in ways that effectively target Hamas.”