Penny Wong Urges Israel to Abandon Ground Offensive into Rafah

The Australian government has urged Israel to give up its ground invasion operation in Gaza, saying it would bring about devastating consequences for Palestinian civilians.

On May 6, Israel announced that it had given the green light to a military offensive in its city of Rafah just hours after the terrorist group Hamas stated that it had accepted an Egyptian–Qatari ceasefire proposal.

The Israeli government said the proposal fell short of the country’s requirements and pledged to proceed with its planned offensive.

It also ordered its army to start strikes in the area to prepare for a ground invasion.

Currently, over a million Palestinians are taking refuge at Rafah after evacuating from other parts of Gaza.

In a statement on social media, Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said she had reiterated Australia’s stance opposing the invasion to Israel.

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“Australia has been clear about our objections to a major Israeli ground offensive into Rafah, and we have reiterated this to Israel again today,” she said.

The minister also called on the two sides to enter into a “humanitarian ceasefire” so that hostages could released and unimpeded aid could be delivered to affected civilians.

“More than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million population are sheltering in Rafah, from the fighting elsewhere,” she said.

“The impacts on Palestinian civilians from an expanded military operation would be devastating.”

At the same time, Ms. Wong said Australia would support the efforts of Qatar, the United States, and Egypt in deriving a ceasefire deal.

Prior to the statement, the minister, on May 6, said the Australian government expressed its “grave concern” about Israel’s military plan and urged the Netanyahu government to change course.

On the night of May 7, Ms. Wong had a phone call with Palestinian Authority’s Prime Minister and Minister Mohammad Mustafa and the United Arab Emirates’ Foreign Affairs Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed, to discuss the issue of recognition of Palestine and the possibility of a ceasefire.

“Civilians fled to Rafah because Israel said it was a safe zone,” ACID chief executive Marc Purcell said.

“Now, the city risks becoming a zone of death for a starving population with nowhere left to flee.”

While Mr. Purcell welcomed Ms. Wong’s comments, he called on the Australian government to suspend the sale of weapons to Israel and impose sanctions on officials who encouraged the use of starvation during the armed conflict.

Israeli troops man a position with a mobile artillery unit near the border with the Gaza Strip on May 8, 2024. (Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images)

On May 8, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the Pentagon was reviewing some of the planned weapons shipments to Israel against the backdrop of a possible Israeli siege of Rafah in southern Gaza.

The Biden administration was concerned that a large-scale Israeli military operation in the region would result in tens of thousands of civilian deaths.

“We are currently reviewing some near-term security assistance shipments in the context of the unfolding events in Rafah,” Mr. Austin said.

“We’re assessing. We have not made any final decisions on this yet. ... There are some things that we’re taking a closer look at.”

Mr. Austin’s announcement prompted strong objections from several U.S. senators who believed the United States should uphold its promise with Israel.

Andrew Thornebrooke contributed to this article.