Gaza ceasefire hopes revived, as Marles stresses no arms trade with Israel

Gaza Strip/Canberra: Israel’s plan for a military takeover of Gaza City continued to draw international condemnation as tens of thousands of Israelis rallied in what local media called one of the largest anti-government protests in recent months, following 22 months of war.

Ceasefire efforts appeared to be reviving following Israel’s decision to escalate the conflict, with US special envoy Steve Witkoff preparing to meet Qatar’s prime minister in Spain on Sunday AEST to discuss a new peace proposal, according to two officials familiar with the talks, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak with the media.

Mediators Egypt and Qatar were preparing a new ceasefire framework that would include the release of all hostages – dead and alive – in one go, in return for the war’s end and the withdrawal of Israeli forces, two Arab officials told The Associated Press.

Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Tel Aviv on Saturday night (Sunday AEST) to oppose Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s latest plans, demanding an immediate end to the campaign and the release of the hostages, 20 of whom are thought to be alive and struggling.

“This isn’t just a military decision. It could be a death sentence for the people we love most,” Lishay Miran Lavi, the wife of hostage Omri Miran told the rally, pleading for US President Donald Trump to intervene to end the war.

A joint statement by nine countries, including Australia, Germany, Britain, France and Canada, said they “strongly reject” Israel’s decision for the large-scale military operation, saying it would worsen the “catastrophic humanitarian situation”, endanger hostages and further risk mass displacement. They said any attempts at annexation or settlement in Gaza violated international law.

A separate statement by more than 20 countries, including ceasefire mediators Egypt and Qatar along with Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, called Israel’s decision a “dangerous and unacceptable escalation”. Russia said Israel’s plan would aggravate the “already extremely dramatic situation” in Gaza.

The United Nations Security Council planned an emergency meeting on Sunday (Monday AEST).

Netanyahu has accused his critics of rewarding Hamas, declaring his goal was not to take over Gaza but to rid the territory of the terrorist group.

The Israel Defence Forces are preparing to move on Gaza City within eight weeks and will order Palestinians to leave the area by October 7 – the second anniversary of the Hamas terror attack that ignited the war.

The evacuation is to be followed by a ground offensive into Gaza City, the most populated area of the Gaza Strip, in a bid to wipe out Hamas in zones where the terror group has so far resisted Israeli attacks.

Far-right members of Netanyahu’s coalition have been pushing for a total takeover of Gaza, though the military has warned this could jeopardise the lives of surviving hostages.

Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles played down the notion that Australia could join Germany in denying Israel munitions for the operation.

“We have seen a lot of misinformation in relation to what Australia is doing,” Marles said on Sunday morning on the ABC’s Insiders program.

“The fundamental point is that we are not supplying weapons to Israel, and there is no step that we could take equivalent to that of Germany which would have any impact.”

Germany’s decision was viewed as significant because the nation has, with the United States, been one of Israel’s most steadfast supporters, due in large part to its intent to right the wrongs of the Holocaust. Germany provides about one-third of Israel’s military imports.

Australia is part of the global supply chain for F-35 fighter jets. But the Defence Department said last week that Australia had not supplied weapons nor ammunition to Israel since Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack – during which some 1200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage – and not for the past five years.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke and his Coalition counterpart, Andrew Hastie, both warned that Israel could breach international law, if it went ahead with plans to take back Gaza City.

Hastie said Netanyahu’s plan was “a very risky proposition” that could prolong Gaza’s “humanitarian crisis”.

“If you look at Gaza from a bird’s-eye view on Google Earth, you’ll see that a lot of it has been reduced to rubble,” he told Sky News’ Sunday Agenda.

“It would be incredibly difficult for IDF [Israel Defence Forces] troops to move through ... and all the advantage would be with Hamas defenders and anyone else who would stand and fight, so we can expect more casualties.”

Burke said: “It would be a breach of international law, and if they start doing what they’ve been doing with the West Bank and have settlers move in, that’s a further illegal action under international law.”

Burke also appeared to suggest Australia could recognise a Palestinian state even if Hamas retained a governance role, potentially cutting across one of the conditions for statehood imposed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

“There have frequently been countries where part of that nation has been occupied by a terrorist group and we haven’t ceased to recognise the country. Both Syria and Iraq had long periods where parts of those countries were being occupied and realistically controlled by ISIS,” he said on Sky.

Asked on Sunday if Australia was considering more severe sanctions on Israel, Albanese said his government had already sanctioned far-right members of the Israeli cabinet.

“We make decisions and we never foreshadow any of those measures, but sometimes it’s just a slogan. I mean, sanctions … which sanctions are you talking about?” Albanese said at a press conference in New Zealand.

Israel’s military offensive has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many were fighters or civilians. The United Nations and independent experts view the ministry’s figures as the most reliable estimate of casualties. Israel has disputed them without offering a toll of its own.

with Reuters

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