Update 12/02/2024: Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s is set to visit Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories next week. During her time there she must call for a immediate ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian aid to address the suffering of the people of Gaza.
The people of Gaza desperately need food, water, shelter and medical care, after months of continued, relentless bombardment and restricted aid. The UN has warned that half of Gaza’s population is starving, and that children are most at risk. A million people are now seeking safety in the south of Gaza, hundreds of thousands are sleeping outdoors as winter sets in. Up to 1.9 million people are displaced - 85% of the population. Only nine hospitals are continuing to operate, without enough medical supplies or electricity. More than 22,000 people have been killed, and 57,000 have been injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7.
Late last year, Australia joined 152 nations in supporting a UN resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. The Australian Government heeded our collective calls because Australians, in their thousands, have relentlessly called for a ceasefire. In December, Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced she will visit Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories early this year. During this visit, she must reiterate Australia’s calls for a ceasefire and for Israel to allow aid to access Gaza.
Now, as the WHO Chief says Gaza’s health system is under “unbearable strain”, and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu warns the war is far from over, the Federal Government must use every power available to continue to call for a ceasefire and for the Israeli Government to allow unfettered humanitarian aid to access Gaza. We will handover your signatures to the Foreign Minister ahead of her visit, and show her that there are thousands of people urging her to speak out in support of a ceasefire and immediate, unhindered aid.
Take action today and urge Foreign Minister Wong to call for an immediate ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian aid during her visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.