PM warns Israel to listen to the world after latest strikes

13 February 2024, The Age / Reuters, AP, AAP, by Matthew Knott

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has demanded Israel heed the international community’s warnings to minimise civilian casualties in Gaza as new strikes killed dozens of people in the southern city of Rafah yesterday.

Albanese’s remarks – his strongest criticism yet of Israel since it launched its retaliation against Hamas after the group’s attack on southern Israel in October – came after US President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to attack Rafah without a credible plan to protect civilians.

An estimated 1.4 million people, about half of Gaza’s population, have fled to Rafah to escape fighting elsewhere since the beginning of the four-month conflict, with many packed into tent camps and refugee shelters near the Egyptian border.

‘‘I have very deep concerns about the idea of an Israeli military operation in Rafah,’’ Albanese told 2GB. ‘‘This is a place where people have been displaced from their homes, often because their homes don’t exist any more, or have been told to go to be safe.’’ Fifty Palestinians were estimated to have died in yesterday’s strikes, the Associated Press reported.

While stressing that he had ‘‘no time for Hamas’’ and was unequivocally opposed to the October 7 terrorist attacks that killed an estimated 1200 people, Albanese said: ‘‘Israel must listen to the international community. There are more than a million civilians who are sheltering in and around Rafah. Israel has a responsibility as a democratic nation to show care in relation to these innocent civilians.’’

Albanese added that ‘‘we cannot have disregard for innocent life and I’m very concerned at the consequences for those civilians and also the serious harm that would be caused to Israel’s own interests in terms of its standing in the international community’’.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon used similar language while expressing concern about Israel’s military operation in Rafah, saying: ‘‘Palestinian civilians cannot pay the price of Israel trying to defeat Hamas.’’

Israeli planes, tanks and ships took part in the initial pre-dawn strikes on Rafah yesterday, with two mosques and several houses hit, according to residents.

In a statement, Hamas said the strikes on the city were a continuation of the ‘‘genocidal war’’ and the forced displacement attempts that Israel has waged against the Palestinian people.

The Israeli military said it had struck ‘‘terror targets in the area of Shaboura’’, a district in Rafah. It said the series of strikes had concluded, without elaborating on the targets or assessing the potential damage or casualties.

Israel announced it had rescued two hostages during a raid by special forces in a Rafah neighbourhood. The freed hostages – identified as Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Louis Har, 70 – were taken to Sheba Hospital in central Israel, a statement from the hospital said, and were confirmed by doctors to be in ‘‘good condition’’.

They are just the second and third hostages to be rescued safely.

The White House said Biden had warned Netanyahu in a call that Israel should not conduct a military operation against Hamas in Rafah without a ‘‘credible and executable’’ plan to protect civilians.

A strong supporter of Israel throughout his career, Biden said last week that Israel’s military response in Gaza was ‘‘over the top’’, and that he had sought ‘‘urgent and specific’’ steps to strengthen humanitarian aid.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said: ‘‘Many civilians who were displaced in Israeli operations in the north have moved south to this area, often under Israeli direction.

‘‘Israel now must exercise special care in relation to these civilians. Not doing so would have devastating consequences for those civilians and cause serious harm to Israel’s own interests.’’

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said ‘‘an Israeli offensive on Rafah would lead to an unspeakable humanitarian catastrophe and grave tensions with Egypt’’, which would be a problem as Egypt has been helping to negotiate a ceasefire and hostage release deal between Hamas and Israel. Hamas’ Al-Aqsa television station earlier quoted an unnamed Hamas official as saying an invasion of Rafah would ‘‘blow up’’ talks for an extended ceasefire.

Netanyahu told Fox News Sunday there was ‘‘plenty of room north of Rafah for them to go to’’ after Israel’s offensive elsewhere in Gaza, and said Israel would direct evacuees with ‘‘flyers, with cell-phones and with safe corridors and other things’’.