22 November 2023•Update: 22 November 2023
ANKARA
Australia on Wednesday called the humanitarian pause in the Gaza war an “important” and “necessary” step, calling for a “long-term and enduring peace” with a two-state solution to the lingering conflict.
“Of course, this is an important and necessary step. But what we must ultimately work towards is a long-term, enduring peace,” Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong told a news conference in Adelaide, according to a statement from the Australian Foreign Ministry.
“And I again reiterate that a long-term enduring peace requires a two-state solution, with Israelis and Palestinians living securely and prosperously within internationally recognized borders,” Wong said while responding to a series of questions about the Israel-Hamas hostage exchange deal.
She said Canberra wants to see the next steps towards a “sustainable” cease-fire, but that “it could not be one-sided.”
“What we see today is progress towards each of these goals and we welcome it. Details are still emerging, but if the deal holds, it will see progress, as I said, on the calls we have made, alongside many in the international community, with the release of at least 50 hostages and 300 aid trucks entering Gaza per day, as well as a pause in the fighting,” she maintained.
“Australia has been working with countries that have influence in the region to help protect and support civilians, to help prevent the conflict from spreading, and to reinforce the need for the just and enduring peace that all of us want,” Wong added.
She said Australia has issued 800 visas to Palestinians from Oct. 7 to Nov. 20.
Under the Israel-Hamas agreement, 50 Israelis held by Hamas will be released in exchange for 150 Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails, Israeli media reported.
The deal also includes a four-day pause in fighting and the entry of 300 trucks loaded with humanitarian aid, including fuel, into the Gaza Strip.
The agreement also allows an extension of the pause and the potential release of more children and women held by the two sides.
Israel estimates that at least 239 Israelis are being held by Hamas following its cross-border attack on Oct. 7.
Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks in the Gaza Strip following the Hamas attack, killing more than 14,128 Palestinians, including 5,840 children and 3,920 women, according to health authorities in the enclave.
Thousands of buildings, including hospitals, mosques, and churches, have also been damaged or destroyed in Israel’s air and ground attacks on the besieged enclave.
The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is around 1,200, according to official figures.
