Labor cabinet ministers line up for ceasefire as Israel ground assault begins

In a unified call, senior ministers repeated previous demands for a pause in hostilities in Lebanon, saying an escalation of the conflict risked more innocent lives.

Finance Minister Katy Gallagher and Treasurer Jim Chalmers have repeated calls for a ceasefire as Israel begins a ground invasion of Lebanon. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Senior Labor ministers have repeated pleas for an urgent ceasefire and de-escalation of hostilities as the Israeli government confirmed it had begun a “limited” ground assault into Lebanon.

Jim Chalmers said an escalation of the conflict would risk “even more innocent lives”.

“Too many families, too many children have already been lost to the conflict in the Middle East and the escalation risks making that worse,” he said on Tuesday morning.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the government did “not want Lebanon to become the next Gaza”.

“The Australian government’s position on what’s happening on the other side of the world is to call for a ceasefire,” the Treasurer told ABC RN.

“We are seeing the beginnings of extraordinary civilian casualties.”

Finance Minister Katy Gallagher echoed the calls for ceasefire and de-escalation, and said developments across the Israel-Lebanon border were “concerning”.

“Last week … Australia, along with a number of other nations like the US, the UK and the European Union, had issued a statement which called for a ceasefire, for further humanitarian assistance, which Australia is providing to Lebanon,” she told ABC TV.

“And certainly, calling for de-escalation of the conflict in the Middle East.

“So that remains our message. That remains our message to Israel. We don’t want to see the loss of life that we have been seeing in the Middle East over the past year, particularly in Gaza, about now in Lebanon as well.”

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland reiterated the government’s call for a ceasefire “both in Gaza and Lebanon”.

“We cannot let Lebanon become the next Gaza,” she told ABC TV. “The hostages need to be released. We need to have a de-escalation here.”

Peter Dutton, meanwhile, repeated calls for the government to instruct law enforcement to respond to anti-Israel protests more strongly. This followed rallies in Sydney and Melbourne on Sunday where some people carried Hezbollah flags and held portraits of slain leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Several mosques in Sydney reportedly held memorial services on Monday evening for Nasrallah.

“We live in the best country in the world … and we should be prepared to defend it and to protect it,” the Opposition Leader told Sky News.

“And at the moment, the weakness of the Prime Minister has allowed these protests to go on for over 12 months. And what we’re seeing is a culmination in the streets where people are holding up flags and photos of a listed terrorist organisation and its leader, somebody who’s been responsible for killing people, including Muslims.

“And it has no place here. So, enforcement of the law is required, and if there are laws that need to be passed to make sure that our values are upheld, then the Prime Minister should be doing that.”