Canberra — Australia has issued a rare and direct warning to Israel, urging it to abandon its plan to seize military control of Gaza City, a move Canberra says would deepen the humanitarian catastrophe of the ongoing genocide in Gaza and breach international law.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the proposal, approved this week by the Israeli security cabinet, risked inflaming an already dire crisis. She demanded an immediate ceasefire, unfettered humanitarian access, and the release of hostages held since the October 7 attacks.
Wong stressed that Australia remains committed to a two-state solution, where Palestinians and Israelis can live side by side in peace within internationally recognized borders. She said the occupation plan—coming after months of indiscriminate bombardment and forced displacement—would only cement Israel’s reputation as a belligerent occupying power acting with impunity.
The coalition opposition remains divided. Michaelia Cash echoed the US-Israeli narrative, insisting on Israel’s “right to defend itself” and calling for Hamas to release hostages, while former SAS officer Andrew Hastie broke ranks, warning that Gaza is “already rubble” and that any occupation would cost more lives without delivering meaningful security gains for Israel.
International condemnation has mounted since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet approved the phased takeover. The plan envisions Israeli forces seizing the city, distributing aid outside combat zones, and later transferring control to unspecified Arab partners—a proposal critics say is nothing more than a colonial land-grab in modern disguise.
The UN has demanded Israel halt the move immediately, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has labeled the plan “wrong,” a reckless act fueling the Genocide of Palestinians, warning that London could recognize Palestinian statehood as early as September if Israel does not reverse course.
According to Mehr News, Wong’s statement marks one of Australia’s most forceful public rebukes of Israel in recent years, underscoring growing discomfort among Western allies as the war in Gaza continues to claim tens of thousands of Palestinian lives.
