Penny Wong Joins Global Leaders in Criticizing Israel’s Gaza Strategy, Highlighting Risks to Hostages and Civilians

Penny Wong has united with other world leaders to condemn Israel’s plan to intensify the war on Gaza and assume full control of the territory.

Minister Wong warned the looming military operation risked violating international law and putting the lives of hostages and civilians in more danger.

In a statement on Saturday, Senator Wong joined Germany, Italy, New Zealand and the United Kingdom to ‘strongly reject’ Israel’s decision to launch a large-scale military operation in Gaza.

‘The plans that the government of Israel has announced risk violating international humanitarian law,’ the ministers said. 

‘Any attempts at annexation or of settlement extension violate international law.’

The foreign ministers said the plans would aggravate the catastrophic humanitarian situation, endanger the lives of hostages and further risk the mass displacement of civilians.

‘We urge the parties and the international community to make all efforts to finally bring this conflict to an end now, through an immediate and permanent ceasefire,’ they said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went against the advice of his military leaders to declare he intended to take military control of all of Gaza.

‘We intend to,’ Netanyahu told Fox News when asked if Israel would take over the entire territory.

Israel would eventually hand over the territory to Arab forces, which would govern it, he said.

‘We don’t want to keep it,’ Netanyahu said.

‘We want to have a security perimeter. We don’t want to govern it. We don’t want to be there as a governing body.’

The move could displace an estimated one million Palestinians and has sparked international outrage.

Germany has suspended arms sales to Israel, concerned the weapons could be used in Gaza.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, a conservative whose support for Israel was a foundation of his election campaign, said he would not authorise any exports of military equipment that could be used in Gaza ‘until further notice’.

The development marks a major shift in German foreign policy.

The UN Security Council is set to discuss the proposed escalation while Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is expected to discuss the war during a meeting with his New Zealand counterpart, Christopher Luxon, in Queenstown.

The Israeli government is pursuing ‘total victory’ in its war with Hamas, which attacked the nation’s south in October 2023, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages.

Israel’s retaliatory assaults have killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry.

Some 200 people, almost half of them children, have reportedly died of starvation.

The worsening humanitarian situation has driven plans from the UK, France and Canada to call for the recognition of Palestine at a UN meeting in September, pending conditions such as Hamas returning the remaining hostages.

Australian government ministers have said the nation’s recognition of Palestinian statehood is a matter of ‘when, not if’.