Ed Husic says Palestinians are paying a “horrible price” for Hamas terrorism

A senior Labor minister has said the Israeli government needs to focus on “rules of international law” when responding to Hamas, likening attacks on Gaza to “barbarism”.

A senior Labor minister has doubled down on his condemnation of Israel as it retaliates following an attack by Hamas on civilians at a festival, amid split loyalties over who’s to blame for the deteriorating war in the Middle East.

Industry and Science Minister Ed Husic said he supported Israel’s right to defend itself against militant groups but affirmed “there’s got to be a better way to target Hamas”, noting Palestinian civilians have been caught up in the attacks.

His comments come as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese prepares to leave for Washington DC later on Sunday to meet with US President Joe Biden to discuss the unfolding Israel-Hamas crisis.

During his visit Mr Albanese is expected to discuss the war and the AUKUS deal with his US counterpart. Picture: Martin Ollman/NCA NewsWire.

Industry Minister Ed Husic told Sky News “innocent civilians are paying a horrible price for Hamas’ barbarism” condemning the deaths of thousands of children who have been killed in the conflict.

This came after the cabinet minister broke with government ranks on Thursday to criticise Israel for punishing the people of Gaza for the actions of Hamas.

“Cutting power, fuel, water and medicine to an entire population has a significant consequence,” Mr Husic said on Sunday.

“Rules of international law require that civilians be protected, and there has to be an effort from Israel.”

Labor frontbencher Anne Aly backed Mr Husic who said Israel ‘could be investigated’ for alleged war crimes. Picture: Martin Ollman/NCA NewsWire.

Mr Husic said Labor members had expressed wide concerns about the welfare of both Israelis and innocent Palestinian civilians affected by the conflict.

He pressed that Australia should continue to take measures in an attempt to de-escalate the conflict.

“It‘s very hard for people to watch to see what’s happening and they’ll react first and foremost as people recognise the suffering of others,” he said.

Shadow defence minister Andrew Hastie said a looming ground invasion by the Israeli army on Gaza will be an “infinitely complex challenge” for soldiers involved.

“We can expect a lot of casualties,” Mr Hastie said on Sunday.

Shadow defence minister Simon Birmingham said Israel “had a right to defend itself.” Picture: Martin Ollman/NCA nE

Israel’s defence force flagged it will intensify air strikes on Gaza on Saturday to “minimise risk of troops in the next stages of war.”

This came as the death toll in Gaza rose to 4,385, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

Senior Liberal Simon Birmingham said Israel had every right to defend itself against militant groups, including Hamas who have controlled parts of Gaza since 2007.

“Israel is trying to work through what is an incredibly complex problem in terms of how they disable Hamas and remove them from power,” he told ABC’s Insiders.

“If we are to ultimately see a situation where Israelis and Palestinians are in a position to be able to talk, to negotiate and finally live peacefully side by side with one another, then there needs to be a structure other than Hamas in place ... you can‘t negotiate with terrorists in this type of instance.”

Huge protests erupted in Lebanon over the weekend against Israeli attacks on Gaza, after Iran-backed Hezbollah warned it will escalate attacks if a ground invasion went ahead. Picture: Joseph Eid/AFP.

On concerns over Iran’s ongoing support of Hamas, Senator Birmingham said Australia should take stronger action including listing the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation.

“Iran has been responsible of enabling Hamas, Hezbollah and the IRGC oppresses women and girls. We’ve seen suffering for a long time,” he said.

Originally published as Ed Husic says Palestinians are paying a “horrible price” for Hamas terrorism