The Australian government has announced an additional aid package for civilians in Gaza, just one day after tens of thousands of protesters marched across the Sydney Harbour Bridge in a mass demonstration against Israel, dpa reported.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Canberra will provide an extra 20 million Australian dollars in humanitarian assistance for women and children in the Gaza Strip.
The latest pledge brings Australia's total commitment to “more than $130 million to help civilians in Gaza and Lebanon” since the Hamas-led October 7 massacre that ignited the ongoing war, said Wong.
She added the decision follows Israel’s recent move to open additional humanitarian corridors into Gaza, noting the “dire humanitarian situation in the territory.”
The aid announcement came as an estimated 90,000 demonstrators took to the streets in Sydney on Sunday to protest Israeli military actions in Gaza.
Demonstrators, including families and elderly participants, chanted slogans and waved Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) flags. Many carried umbrellas in the heavy rain, and some held up pots and pans to symbolize Hamas's claims of hunger in Gaza. A large photograph of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was prominently displayed by one participant.
Just last week, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese criticized Israel’s actions in Gaza, saying it was “quite clearly” a breach of international law to block food deliveries.
“A one-year-old boy is not a Hamas fighter. The civilian casualties and death in Gaza is completely unacceptable. It’s completely indefensible,” he said.
While reaffirming his support for Israel’s right to defend itself, Albanese warned that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is “losing support” globally. He said he had conveyed these concerns directly to President Isaac Herzog.
Albanese welcomed Israel’s decision to begin airdropping humanitarian aid and opening corridors for UN convoys, calling it “a start,” but reiterated that “innocent lives must be protected.”