09 May 2024•Update: 09 May 2024
By Anadolu staff
ANKARA (AA) - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday reiterated his country's opposition to Israel's operation in Rafah.
Speaking to reporters in Melbourne, Albanese said his government has communicated its opposition to the ground offensive in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza.
He voiced concern over the civilian population in Rafah, most of whom were displaced after Israel's bombing of Gaza.
"They (Palestinian civilians) were told to move from the northern part of Gaza, they were told to move south. You then have a very crowded population, and you also have a crowded population that is not clear where they are supposed to go, given the destruction that's occurred to housing in other parts of Gaza," he said, according to a transcript issued by his office.
"So we are very concerned about that. And my government's position is very clear, and it's been a long-standing position of the Australian Government to support a two-state solution," he added.
On Wednesday, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong also added her voice to the growing opposition to the Israeli ground offensive into Rafah, warning that the impact of the operation will be “devastating.”
She said her “country has been clear about our objections to a major Israeli ground offensive into Rafah, and we have reiterated this to Israel again today (Wednesday).”
On Monday, the Israeli army issued evacuation orders for Palestinians in eastern Rafah, a move widely seen as a prelude to Israel's long-feared attack on the city, home to some 1.5 million displaced Palestinians.
On Tuesday, the army seized control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing on the border with Egypt, a vital route for humanitarian aid into the besieged territory.
Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip in retaliation for an Oct. 7 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas which killed about 1,200 people.
More than 34,800 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, mostly women and children, and 78,100 others injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.
Over seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine, according to the UN.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January said it is "plausible" that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and ordered Tel Aviv to stop such acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid
