ISTANBUL

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese urged Israel to accept its “share of responsibility” for the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip on Monday as he reiterated his demand for a ceasefire in the enclave.

“Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed, desperate people, including children denied vital aid; aid workers killed, including Australian, … journalists killed (while) trying to bring the truth to light,” Albanese told a UN conference on Palestine in New York City.

The conference is being held one day before the 80th session of UN General Assembly.

“This comes alongside the continued illegal expansion of settlements on the West Bank and an increased settler violence; threats to annex parts of Palestine and permanently displace the Palestinian people,” he said. “Such conduct risk reaching a two-state solution -- that is where the current road leads.”

Australia is one of several states that recognized Palestine ahead of the General Assembly meeting, which begins Tuesday, amid an Israeli genocidal war in Gaza.

“We must choose a different path, we must break a cycle of violence and build something better,” said Albanese.

Recognizing the aspirations of Palestinian people is “about more than to seek a voice and a vote in the councils of the world,” he said. “It is about a real hope for a place to call home.”

UN investigators recently concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, where more than 65,300 victims have been killed since October 2023.

Israel has since killed 249 Palestinian journalists in the besieged coastal enclave, according to the Gaza Government Media Office.