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Key Points
- A devastating blast at Al-Ahli Arabi Hospital in Gaza has killed roughly 500 people.
- Hamas and the Palestinian Authority have blamed the blast on an Israeli airstrike, claims Israel denies.
- The prime minister says the government condemns “indiscriminate attacks and targeting of civilian infrastructure”.
“The scenes from the explosion at a Gaza City hospital are deeply distressing and it is clear that there has been a devastating loss of life,” Albanese told reporters in Canberra on Wednesday.
“Every innocent life matters, that’s whether it is Israeli or Palestinian.”
Albanese condemns ‘indiscriminate attacks’ against civilians
“Australia joins with others in calling for international law to always be upheld.”
Palestinian Authority’s health minister, Mai Alkaila, said an Israeli airstrike was to blame for the blast at Al-Ahli Arabi Hospital.
Israel denies responsibility for hospital blast
The blast marked the deadliest single incident since the significant escalation of conflict between Israel and Hamas earlier this month.
Hamas is a Palestinian military and political group, which has gained power in the Gaza Strip since winning legislative elections there in 2006. Its stated aim is to establish a Palestinian state, while refusing to recognise Israel’s right to exist.
In 2018, the United Nations General Assembly voted against a resolution condemning Hamas in its entirety as a terrorist organisation.
Palestinians inspect the destroyed National Bank building in Gaza City following Israeli air strikes. Source: Getty / Haitham Imad
Israel has , halting food, fuel and medical supplies, which are rapidly running out.
Penny Wong urges Australians to leave Israel
Seats on a number of repatriation flights had been left empty despite all of them being allocated, the foreign minister said.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced by the Israel-Hamas conflict. Source: Getty / AFP
A Qatar Airways flight from Dubai carrying more than 200 people, including Australians and dual nationals, landed in Sydney on Tuesday evening.
A Qantas flight from London is due to land in Sydney on Wednesday with about 300 passengers on board.
The safety of the reported 46 Australians in Gaza remains unknown.
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