United Nations rights chief Volker Turk is “horrified” by the destruction of the Nasser and Al Shifa medical facilities in Gaza and reports of mass graves containing hundreds of bodies there, a spokesperson says. Palestinian authorities reported finding bodies in mass graves at a hospital in Khan Younis this week after it was abandoned by … Read more
Israel has yet to provide evidence for its accusations that hundreds of staff with the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) are members of terrorist groups, according to a review of the agency’s neutrality that could prompt some donor countries to review funding freezes. The United Nations appointed former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna to … Read more
US lawmakers’ support for $US60.84 billion ($A94.83 billion) more in aid for Ukraine shows Washington is wading much deeper into a hybrid war against Moscow that will end in humiliation on a par with the Vietnam or Afghanistan conflicts, Russia says. President Vladimir Putin’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine has touched off the worst fall-out … Read more
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he will fight sanctions being imposed on any Israeli military units for alleged rights violations, after media reports said Washington was planning such a step. Axios news site on Saturday reported Washington was planning to impose sanctions on Israel’s Netzah Yehuda battalion, which has operated in the occupied West … Read more
Just before the beginning of Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, Eman and Ahmed Shat were overjoyed to announce they would soon be welcoming their fourth child. Now in her third trimester of pregnancy and living in an overcrowded refugee camp in Rafah without basic essentials such as food and water, Eman, 29, is severely depressed … Read more
The federal government is alarmed after Israel launched retaliatory strikes on Iran, bringing the Middle East closer to a regional war. “Australia remains extremely concerned about the potential for miscalculation and further escalation of conflict in the region,” Acting Foreign Minister Katy Gallagher said on Friday. “This is in no one’s interests. Newsletters: Breaking news … Read more
The US has effectively stopped the United Nations from recognising a Palestinian state by casting a veto in the Security Council to deny Palestinians full membership of the world body. It vetoed a draft resolution that recommended to the 193-member UN General Assembly that “the State of Palestine be admitted to membership” of the UN. … Read more
Australia has condemned Iran’s actions and urged its citizens in the Middle East to take shelter after Tehran launched dozens of drones and missiles at Israel in a retaliatory attack. On April 1, Israel bombed an Iranian embassy compound in Damascus, killing a top general and six other military officers. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali … Read more
A former chief of the Australian Defence Force will act as Australia’s eyes and ears in the Israeli investigation into an air strike that killed seven aid workers, including Zomi Frankcom. In early April, the Israeli Defence Force launched strikes that killed Australian aid worker Frankcom and six of her World Central Kitchen (WCK) colleagues … Read more
Israel’s killing of seven aid workers including Australian Zomi Frankcom, reflects a “systematic failure” to commit to the observance of international humanitarian law. Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong says she and Defence Minister Richard Marles have written to their Israeli counterparts after a briefing on the initial findings of the Israel Defense Forces’ investigation, which … Read more
