Australia welcomes Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire | The West Australian
The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon has been welcomed by Foreign Minister Penny Wong who says it should be the catalyst for an end to conflict in the Middle East.
Israel and listed terror group Hezbollah agreed to a 60-day deal, which US President Joe Biden said was “designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities”.
Senator Wong echoed calls for a ceasefire in Gaza following the Israel-Hezbollah truce.
“We’ve been calling for a ceasefire in Gaza for over 11 months now and we see every week the death toll rising, more children, more women,” she told reporters in Canberra on Wednesday.
“But today we are very pleased to see that there is a ceasefire with Hezbollah and that the people of Lebanon and Israel can know some peace.”
Cabinet minister Jason Clare said Australians wanted to see an end to the killing and suffering.
“I think all people would want to see an end to the devastation and catastrophic events that we’re seeing in the Middle East,” he said.
Welcoming the ceasefire, Save the Children called for the violence to stop to protect kids in Lebanon after 3800 people – including 240 children – were killed after hostilities intensified two months ago.
“We are deeply relieved that after two months of unimaginable violence, an agreement has finally been reached for an end to fighting,” Lebanon country director Jennifer Moorehead said.
“Children and their families in Lebanon have already suffered too much.
“Over 400,000 children in Lebanon have been forcibly displaced and don’t have a home to go back to anymore, over 1400 children have been injured and need to recover.”
The Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council also welcomed the ceasefire but executive director Colin Rubenstein remained cautious.
The West needed to allow Israel to ensure Hezbollah wasn’t a threat along Lebanon’s southern border, he said.
Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza has resulted in more than 43,000 deaths, according to the local health ministry.
Tens of thousands more people are missing, believed to be buried under rubble.
The counteroffensive in Gaza was launched after designated terror group Hamas launched an attack that killed 1200 people and took 250 hostages on October 7, 2023, according to Israel.
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