No one would send people back to Gaza, minister says
As Palestinian asylum seekers await a decision about their futures in Australia, the home affairs minister has assured that no country in the world would send people back to Gaza.
Australia has granted thousands of visas to fleeing Palestinians since Israel began its bombing campaign on Gaza in October.
With most visitor visas soon due to expire, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the federal government has not yet made a decision on its next steps.
“We are in a situation, as is every country in the world where people have fled,” he told Sky News on Sunday.
“Certainly no country in the world would send people back to Gaza at the moment.
“The responsible thing to do is to wait until we’ve made a decision on the pathway forward and then make an announcement.”
On October 7, Hamas – designated a terrorist group by the Australian government – attacked Israel, killing 1200 people and resulting in more than 200 hostages, according to Israeli authorities.
In the months since, Israel has unleashed a bombing campaign and ground offensive in Gaza that has killed almost 40,000 Palestinians, according to the local health ministry.Almost 90 per cent of Gazans, about 1.9 million people, have been displaced while 495,000 are facing catastrophic levels of food insecurity.
Independent senator David Pocock has urged the government to do more for Palestinians, as thousands of humanitarian visas were offered to those fleeing Afghanistan and Ukraine, but not to people escaping Gaza.
Opposition defence spokesman Andrew Hastie argues visas were granted too hastily to Palestinians without sufficient time for screening
“This looks quite reflexive from the government, it looks hurried,” he told Sky News.
“The process needs a very close look.”
The federal government has called for accountability from Israel after a report from a special advisor revealed “serious failures” led to an airstrike on a humanitarian convoy, killing Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom and six of her colleagues.
“There are obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians and to protect the distribution of aid and aid workers,” Mr Burke said.
“Plainly, that didn’t happen.”
Mr Hastie drew on his own military experience and said the government had politicised the situation, damaging Australia’s relationship with Israel when that country had already taken responsibility for the aid worker deaths.
Mr Hastie was previously cleared of blame by the Australian Defence Force after two Afghan boys were killed by a US helicopter crew that was in contact with soldiers under his command in 2013.
“War is a terrible, messy business – things always go wrong, information is always incomplete and imperfect,” he said.
“It’s a terrible tragedy we lost Zomi Frankcom and I can’t imagine how her family feels … but again, mistakes happen.”
#send #people #Gaza #minister