Israel’s excuses completely without credibility: Australian premier on Gaza blockade

ANKARA

Israel's "excuses and explanations" for blocking aid to Gaza are "untenable" and "without credibility," Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Monday in one of his strongest criticisms of Tel Aviv.

Several Western countries, including the UK, France, and Canada, have threatened to impose sanctions on Tel Aviv over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to allow "minimal" humanitarian aid into the besieged enclave.

Although Canberra has not signed up to that joint threat, it joined the growing chorus of international criticism of Israel's proposed aid model and has called for a full and immediate resumption of humanitarian supplies into Gaza.

Albanese's criticism coincides with the latest UN warning that Gaza is on the brink of famine.

"Israel's actions are completely unacceptable. It is outrageous that there be a blockade of food and supplies to people who are in need in Gaza," said Albanese, according to a transcript of his news conference held in Canberra.

"People are starving. The idea that a democratic state withholds supply is an outrage."

Albanese said he communicated that criticism to Israel's President Isaac Herzog at a meeting in Rome just days ago, where he told the Israeli president: "Israel's excuses and explanations (were) completely untenable and without credibility."

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing more than 53,900 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Friday, over 172,000 people have been displaced in Gaza in the past week due to intense Israeli attacks and the siege.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.