Share and Follow
Key Points
- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Australia welcomes the Gaza ceasefire deal.
- He said there must be no place for Hamas in Gaza’s future governance.
- The ceasefire deal will come into effect on 19 January if agreed to by the Israeli cabinet.
Gazans have been through “an awful time”, he acknowledged, as officials report tens of thousands of people have been killed.
“467 days later they speak for all of us when they demand the return of all hostages to their families,” Dreyfus said. “The ceasefire must make that a reality.”
“What we’re hopeful is that this ceasefire will enable a chance for people to breathe but then for the world to recognise there is no military solution to a political problem.”
“We want to make sure that the remainder of the hostages are released, if they’re still alive,” Dutton told reporters on Thursday. “Let’s wait to see what happens in relation to those commitments and whether they’re honoured before we start to talk about next steps.”
‘Hoping very much this will be a permanent end’
“It will importantly lead to the release of the hostages, including women, young children and the elderly and sick who have been held in terrible conditions for 15 months, and it will allow more humanitarian assistance to get to the Gazan population which has been suffering through this conflict as well.”
