Palestinian death toll an enormous concern, Anthony Albanese warns, as bombings continue

In his strongest comments yet about the growing death toll in Gaza, Anthony Albanese said Israel needed to recognise international concern about civilian deaths.

Anthony Albanese at the Economic & Social Outlook Conference in Melbourne on Thursday. Aaron Francis / The Australian

Anthony Albanese has warned of “dire” consequences if Israel’s war with Hamas spreads across the region, saying that the civilian death toll in Gaza was now causing “enormous concern” around the world.

In his strongest comments yet about the growing death toll in Gaza, the Prime Minister said Israel needed to recognise international concern about civilian deaths, even as he reaffirmed Israel’s right to defend itself.

His comments came as Joe Biden called for a humanitarian pause in the war in Gaza, placing the US President at odds with Israel, which says any break in fighting will benefit the terror group Hamas.

“Israel has a right to defend itself but how it defends itself matters as well,” Mr Albanese told The Australian-Melbourne Institute Economic and Social Outlook conference.

“It must comply with international law and the rules of war (and) do all that it can to ensure that innocent civilians are not paying the price of Hamas’ atrocities.

“I think that the civilian toll is quite rightly causing an enormous concern around the world.”

Mr Albanese said Israel air strikes this week on Jabalia, the largest refugee camp in Gaza, which Israel said was aimed at Hamas targets but which killed at least 100 people, had further increased concerns about civilian deaths. “Israel needs to recognise that the way that it conducts itself, because the images that have been seen on the refugee camp, quite rightly will cause an enormous, enormous concern around the world,” he said. “Every innocent life matters whether it is Israeli or Palestinian.”

However the Prime Minister laid the blame for the conflict squarely on terror group Hamas, which slaughtered 1400 Israelis last month. “What we are witnessing is as a result of Hamas’ actions (which) resulted in the devastating loss of life in Israel,” he said.

The Hamas-controlled Gazan Ministry of Health says more than 8000 people had been killed in Gaza since the start of the conflict.

Mr Albanese also warned the conflict must not spread to other parts of the Middle East. “It is critical as well, that this or does not expand into other theatres – the consequences of that for Israel’s security are dire,” he said.

While it has been attacking Hamas in Gaza, Israel has also been exchanging fire with Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon, Palestinians in the West Bank and Iranian-proxy militia in Syria.

Mr Biden has for the first time called for a humanitarian pause in the war in Gaza. A pause would ”give time to get the prisoners out”, he said, referring to the 240 Israeli hostages held by Hamas. The White House later added that a humanitarian pause would also allow more humanitarian aid to come into Gaza.

Australia has also called for a humanitarian pause to allow more aid into Gaza, which has been starved of water, food, fuel and medicine for three weeks.

Israel has opposed calls for ­either a humanitarian pause or a ceasefire because it says it would give Hamas time to regroup and would disadvantage Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

On Wednesday (Thursday AEDT), Israel conducted a second major strike in as many days on Hamas targets in the Falluja neighbourhood of the Jabalia refugee camp. The Israeli Defence Forces said Hamas terrorists were eliminated in the strike while the director of Gaza’s Indonesia Hospital said at least 80 people had been killed.

Israel’s decision to strike the refugee camp, home to about 116,000 Palestinians triggered a backlash against Israel, with Jordan, Colombia and Chile recalling their ambassadors while Bolivia cut off diplomatic relations.

On the battlefield, the Israeli military claimed it had breached Hamas’s defensive frontline in northern Gaza and was expanding its fighting into the strip, according to IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari.

The battle in Gaza’s north came as Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the government assisted 23 people, including 20 Australian citizens, to leave Gaza via the Rafah crossing to Egypt as a part of 361 foreign nationals who were permitted to leave. Senator Wong said there were about 20 more Australian citizens and family members still in Gaza.

Mr Albanese expressed concern that anti-Semitism and Islamophobia were on the rise in Australia as a result of the conflict.

Amid reports some Jewish Australian parents were scared to send their children to school in uniform, Mr Albanese said there was no room for “hatred of any form” in Australia.

“We’re concerned about the rise of anti-Semitism which has been on the rise,” the Prime Minister said. “And we’ve provided money for security in Jewish schools and Jewish institutions (and) synagogues. But we’ve also provided money for the Islamic community and the Palestinian community. There are women very regularly, who get abused, who get vilified because they’re wearing a hijab in this country.”