PM accuses Israel of denying Gazans aid

Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Michaelia Cash has rejected a statement Prime Minister Anthony Albanese issued on Friday about Gaza, arguing it “once again fails to place any blame on Hamas” for delays in aid reaching Palestinians.

Cash said it was “disappointing” that Albanese’s statement did not hold the listed terrorist organisation responsible for the humanitarian crisis, insisting “any moral outrage about the situation in Gaza should be directed at Hamas”.

“Hamas and its allies have tried to disrupt the flow of aid into Gaza and have stolen humanitarian aid for their own purposes,” Cash said in a statement on Friday afternoon.

“This war began because of Hamas’s abhorrent attack on Israeli civilians, where over 1200 were murdered in cold blood, and they bear responsibility for the continuation of this conflict.”

Albanese’s statement, released earlier on Friday, declared “the situation in Gaza has gone beyond the world’s worst fears” and criticised Israel’s handling of humanitarian aid.

“Gaza is in the grip of a humanitarian catastrophe. Israel’s denial of aid and the killing of civilians, including children, seeking access to water and food cannot be defended or ignored,” the Prime Minister said.

Albanese called on Israel to “comply immediately with its obligations under international law” and allow the United Nations and NGOs to carry out “their lifesaving work safely and without hindrance”.

The Prime Minister also condemned Hamas, calling for “the immediate release of the remaining hostages” and reiterating Australia’s support for international ceasefire efforts.

“We continue to support all international efforts to facilitate a ceasefire, recognising that an immediate and permanent ceasefire gives the best hope of bringing hostages home and easing the agony of their loved ones,” Albanese said.

However, Cash argued Hamas bore primary responsibility for the ongoing conflict and could end Palestinian suffering immediately.

“Hamas could end the suffering of the people of Gaza by freeing the remaining Israeli hostages and laying down their weapons,” she said.

Cash did say delays in aid entering Gaza were “unacceptable” and said the Israeli Government needed to “urgently work with international bodies to allow aid to flow freely to those that need it”.

“However, the right system must be in place so that it can be distributed without Hamas intervening in the process,” Cash said.

Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) executive director Colin Rubenstein said it is a disturbing that Albanese “is so reliant for his views on the situation in Gaza on misleading, self-serving Hamas propaganda, albeit relayed through compliant anti-Israel UN agencies”.

“At a time when all mediators agree that Hamas is the obstacle to a ceasefire agreement which would end the humanitarian crisis there, statements such as the one he issued today only encourage Hamas to hold out, convinced it is weakening Israel by doing so,” Rubenstein said.

“Albanese and his Government have rightly stated on many occasions that Hamas can have no future role in Gaza, but now he is demanding a ceasefire that would leave it in power there. And he is failing to attribute the blame for the distressing Gaza situation toward this banned terror group – which started the war and openly says it sees the suffering of Gaza’s civilians as ‘necessary sacrifices’.”

What you need to know about humanitarian aid for #Gaza:

➡️Since May 19, and in accordance with the directive of the political echelon, aid enters Gaza through two primary channels:

1. Distribution sites operated by @GHFUpdates, where weekly food packages are provided to… pic.twitter.com/eLIQ1ELY6M

— COGAT (@cogatonline) July 22, 2025

Israel’s department for Palestinian affairs, the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), posted on Wednesday that had been a “significant decline” in the collection of humanitarian aid from the crossings by international aid organisations.

“As of now, the contents of approximately 950 humanitarian aid trucks are awaiting collection on the Gazan side of the Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings. These trucks are just waiting there,” COGAT said on X.

“The collection bottleneck remains the main obstacle to maintaining a consistent flow of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, despite Israel’s proactive efforts to expand the volume of aid trucks entering the area.”

Albanese’s statement also addressed Australia’s long-term position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, reaffirming support for a two-state solution.

“Australia is proud to have strongly supported the creation of the modern state of Israel. Then, as now, the global community envisioned two states: the State of Israel and the State of Palestine,” he said.

The Prime Minister said recognising “the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for a state of their own has long been a bipartisan position in Australia” and described the two-state solution as essential for “a just and lasting peace”.

“Australia is committed to a future where both the Israeli and Palestinian peoples can live in peace and safety, within secure and internationally-recognised borders,” Albanese said.

Recognition of a Palestinian state has long been part of Labor’s party platform, however the government has as yet not taken that step. Foreign Minister Penny Wong in 2024 however said Australia no longer viewed that recognition as taking place at the end of any Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.

Communal leaders and geopolitical analysts see such a step as emboldening Palestinian intransigence and rewarding terrorism.

Rubenstein said Albanese “should remember that the Palestinian Authority [PA] refused three very generous offers of statehood in 2000, 2001, and 2008, as part of a long record of intransigence”.

“It should be obvious that before there can be any serious moves towards a two-state peace, the PA must be comprehensively reformed and Hamas must be driven from Gaza. Otherwise, any moves, such as foreshadowing recognition, would be a reward for, and entrench, the PA’s intransigence and Hamas’ reign of terror,” Rubenstein said.

French president Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday, ahead of a UN conference about a two-state solution slated for next Monday and Tuesday, that France will recognise a Palestinian state in September.