Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has joined his Canadian and New Zealand counterparts to warn Israel that a ground assault of Rafah in southern Gaza would be “catastrophic”, amid growing international alarm at the prospect of mass civilian casualties.

Echoing the fears of fellow Five Eyes partners the United States and Britain, Mr Albanese, Canada’s Justin Trudeau and New Zealand’s Christopher Luxon said they had “grave concerns” over Israeli war planning, and an offensive would be “devastating” for civilians.