‘At least heaven has food’: Australia backs global demand to end Gaza war amid rising starvation

Twenty-eight countries including Australia are demanding an immediate end to the Gaza war and calling on Israel to lift restrictions on aid in the enclave.

The joint statement, signed by Foreign Minister Penny Wong, comes amid growing international concern over the rising number of deaths at aid distribution sites as well as from malnutrition. It condemns what it describes as the “inhumane killing” of Palestinians and criticises the “drip-feeding of aid”.

The majority of those killed in Gaza in recent weeks were near Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) sites, which the US and Israel had backed to take over aid distribution from a United Nations-led network.

“We... come together with a simple, urgent message: the war in Gaza must end now,” read the statement.

The statement sharply criticised the Israeli government’s current aid delivery model. “The suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths. The Israeli government’s aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity. It is horrifying that over 800 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid... Israel must comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law.”

The joint statement also condemned Hamas’s treatment of hostages held captive since October 7. “We condemn their continued detention and call for their immediate and unconditional release. A negotiated ceasefire offers the best hope of bringing them home and ending the agony of their families.”

Hours after the joint statement was released, Israel’s foreign ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein posted on X that it was “disconnected from reality”, adding that such statements should be directly solely towards Hamas "which started this war and is prolonging it".

The statement was signed by EU Commissioner for equality, preparedness and crisis management Hadja Lahbib, Senator Wong, and the foreign ministers of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Greece, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.

The signatories “strongly oppose any steps towards territorial or demographic change in the Occupied Palestinian Territories” and warned that if the E1 settlement plan announced by Israel’s Civil Administration was implemented, it would effectively divide a future Palestinian state in two. Such a move, it said, would constitute a “flagrant breach of international law and critically undermine the two-state solution”.

The 28 countries urged other members of the international community to “unite in a common effort" to end the war through a permanent and immediate ceasefire. "Further bloodshed serves no purpose,” they said. “We reaffirm our full support for the efforts of the US, Qatar and Egypt to achieve this."

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley did not say whether she supported the joint statement, instead focusing on the control of Hamas in the region. “Of course, we want to see aid reach those who deserve it, but it is so important that Hamas, which often controls the flow of that aid – but certainly controls the ongoing, completely unacceptable detention of those hostages – act in the interests of the people of Gaza.”

Meanwhile Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the joint statement represented Australia’s strongest comments since the conflict began. “We’ve seen too many images of children being killed, of horrific slaughter, of churches being bombed,” he told the ABC. “None of this changes the fact that the hostages need to be released... but what we are watching on the other side of the world is indefensible."

Wong told Sky News that President Donald Trump “has the greatest chance of any political leader” to broker a ceasefire deal in Gaza. She acknowledged the key role the US plays in the peace process, as domestic pressure on the Albanese government mounts to play a more pivotal role in addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Daily food gathering has become a deadly task for Gazans, with one UN agency estimating that more than 1,000 people have died while trying to receive food aid since May.

Israeli military statistics showed on Tuesday that an average of 146 trucks of aid per day had entered Gaza over the course of the war. The United States has said a minimum of 600 trucks per day are needed to feed Gaza's population.

The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry reported on Wednesday that 10 Gazans – including six-week-old Yousef al-Safadi – had died from hunger and other forms of malnutrition in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of related deaths since the war began to 111. Malnutrition is now killing Palestinians faster than at any point in the 21-month war.

Yousef al-Safadi's uncle Adham told Reuters that his family could not find baby formula to feed him. "You can't get milk anywhere, and if you do find any it's $100 for a tub," he said. Three of the other 10 deceased were also children, including 13-year-old Abdulhamid al-Ghalban.

Meanwhile, 115 charity and human rights groups said on Wednesday that Israel’s blockade and ongoing military offensive were pushing Palestinians in the Gaza Strip towards starvation. They called for an immediate ceasefire and the free and unconditional delivery of aid, led and supervised by the United Nations.

In an open letter, the organisations – including major international aid groups such as Médecins Sans Frontières, Mercy Corps and Save the Children – said they were watching their own colleagues, as well as the Palestinians they serve, “waste away”.

The Israeli government’s “restrictions, delays, and fragmentation under its total siege have created chaos, starvation and death,” the letter said. “Children tell their parents they want to go to heaven, because at least heaven has food.”

World Health Organisation Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, echoed the criticism, telling reporters that rates of acute malnutrition had exceeded 10 per cent, and that among pregnant and breastfeeding women, more than 20 per cent were malnourished, often severely.

Israel's military says it "views the transfer of humanitarian aid into Gaza as a matter of utmost importance", and that it is working to facilitate the entry of aid in coordination with the international community. It has denied accusations it is preventing aid from reaching Gaza, and has accused Hamas of stealing food – an allegation Hamas denies.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that anger is rising among Labor’s grassroots members over the war in Gaza, with 78 local branches passing motions in recent weeks calling for tougher action against the Israeli government.

The motions demand far-reaching sanctions against Israeli entities and individuals involved in the war, as well as a two-way arms embargo on Israel, including a ban on the supply of military parts and components. The branches include one in Wong’s home city of Adelaide and three in Albanese’s Sydney electorate of Grayndler.

“Strong words are not enough,” the conveners of the Labor Friends of Palestine group said in a letter sent to Wong on Wednesday. “Expressions of concern and repeated calls for restraint have achieved little in the last 21 months; indeed, Israel’s violence and clear disdain for international humanitarian law have only intensified.”

Wong responded in a statement by defending Labor’s record, highlighting the provision of $110 million in humanitarian assistance for civilians in Gaza and Lebanon. While government sources stressed that Australia has not supplied weapons or ammunition to Israel since the Hamas–Israel conflict began – and has not done so for at least the past five years.

Former Labor frontbencher Ed Husic also called for targeted sanctions against key Israeli decision-makers involved in the Gaza war, telling the ABC on Wednesday afternoon that “the Australian government, as part of a broader coalition, should be prepared to take further steps”.

Greens leader Larissa Waters similarly pushed for the federal government to consider imposing sanctions. “I welcome the fact that our nation has in fact signed on to that letter… but unfortunately, as we’ve seen, the Israeli regime isn’t listening to stern words. I would love Australia to be doing more here.”

The branches’ call came as the Senate passed a disciplinary motion rebuking Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi for holding up a sign about the Gaza war during Governor-General Sam Mostyn’s speech at the opening of parliament on Tuesday.

The motion, introduced by Wong, said Faruqi broke Senate rules by holding up a prop in the form of a sign reading: “Gaza is starving. Words won’t feed them. Sanction Israel.” Albanese accused Faruqi of “disrespecting” Mostyn, telling the ABC: “There is a place for demonstrations, and it’s not the floor of the Senate”.

Faruqi criticised the motion, which bans her from participating in Senate delegations overseas, telling her colleagues, “You are all on the wrong side of history. Instead of sanctioning me, maybe you should think about sanctioning Israel.”

More than a dozen pro-Palestinian demonstrators were detained after protesting inside the foyer of parliament during Mostyn’s speech, before being removed from the building. Protesters also called for sanctions on Israel on the lawns of parliament, with one woman arrested, federal police said.

Australia condemns Israel's 'indefensible' actions in Gaza as calls for sanctions grow louder (ABC)

‘Immense frustration’: Labor base demands sanctions against Israel (SMH)

The Albanese government wants the Gaza war to end now. So do most Israelis (SMH)

Mehreen Faruqi stages Senate protest, asks Albanese: 'Will you sanction Israel?' (SBS)

Trump offers ‘greatest chance’ for Gaza ceasefire, Penny Wong insists, as Australia condemns Israel actions (The Guardian)

10 Palestinians died from malnutrition in past day, Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says (Haaretz)