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Senator Jacqui Lambie has said “immediate relief” is needed in Gaza and that the United Nations should send peacekeepers to the region, as concerns grow over reports of starvation and malnutrition.
The UN is reporting that thousands of families are enduring “appalling” humanitarian conditions and has estimated that 600 trucks of aid are needed daily to prevent famine in the area.
It follows the recent announcement from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese that Australia will recognise a state of Palestine in September, along with other governments.
Lambie ‘horrified’ by what she has seen in Gaza
Jacqui Lambie has called on the United Nations to send peacekeepers to Gaza, telling SBS News such a mission would not interrupt “much hoped for peace talks”.
“Like most Australians, I am horrified by the pictures and footage of hungry children and desperate parents,” she said.
“A protective corridor for food aid would bring immediate relief, and it’s a solution that would not interfere with much-hoped-for peace talks.”
The senator is planning to take out advertising endorsing her call, and is expected to petition the government to support it.
“Children are starving, mothers are sobbing because they can’t feed their children, let alone themselves,” she said.
“UN peacekeepers have a long history of assisting in humanitarian efforts, including providing security for the delivery of aid. If we are to ease the starvation of children in Gaza, we need blue helmets protecting those aid convoys.”
Negotiations to secure a US-backed 60-day ceasefire and hostage release ended in deadlock last month and mediators Egypt and Qatar have been trying to revive them.
Tensions in the region escalated when Hamas attacked southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli authorities.
Israel’s subsequent military assault against Hamas has killed over 61,000 Palestinians, Gaza’s health ministry says.
Peacekeeping in the region
The UN last year accused Israel of intentionally targeting peacekeeping forces during its military operations in Lebanon.
Israeli tanks reportedly breached a United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) base, as the Israeli Defense Forces stormed northern Lebanon.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged UN peacekeeping forces to leave combat zones, raising concerns from the UN.
Several peacekeepers from Ireland and Italy have also been injured during ongoing conflicts from Israeli fire and missile strikes in Lebanon.
In a statement to SBS News, a spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said the Australian government has been consistent in its calls for Israel to allow aid to flow to Gaza rapidly, unimpeded and at scale. The Australian government has now committed more than $130 million in humanitarian assistance to help civilians in Gaza and Lebanon since 7 October 2023.
