<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?> <docID>336556</docID> <postdate>2025-01-16 10:53:20</postdate> <headline>Humanitarian aid ‘priority’ as Gaza ceasefire welcomed</headline> <body><p><img class="size-full wp-image-336557" src="https://citynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/20241208173315323569-original-resized.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="601" /></p> <caption>There are hopes a ceasefire in Gaza will quell community tensions in Australia. (Diego Fedele/AAP PHOTOS)</caption> <p><span class="kicker-line">By <strong>Dominic Giannini</strong> in Canberra</span></p> <p><strong>Giving Gazans access to essential supplies such as food and water is the first priority, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says as he welcomes a ceasefire.</strong></p> <p>The agreement between Hamas and Israel will come into effect on Sunday and outlines the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the besieged strip.</p> <p>Israeli hostages held by the designated terrorist group will be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners.</p> <p>"This agreement is a constructive step towards peace and stability in the region - today must mark the beginning of a new chapter for the Israeli and Palestinian people," Mr Albanese told reporters in Canberra on Thursday.</p> <p>"We hope it will allow the Palestinian people the opportunity to rebuild, reform their governance which is most necessary to pursue self-determination.</p> <p>"We will continue to act in partnership with the international community to support the urgent humanitarian needs of the people of Gaza."</p> <p>There's hope a ceasefire in Gaza will quell community tensions as Australia welcomes the announcement while calling for further humanitarian aid.</p> <p>"I certainly hope and have consistently called for the lowering of temperature here," Mr Albanese said.</p> <p>"Australians, I believe, wanted to see the hostages released, they want to see an end to conflict, they also don't want conflict brought here."</p> <p>The sentiment was echoed by cabinet minister Murray Watt, who said he hoped the peace agreement would extend to hostilities in Australia amid a rising spate of anti-Semitic attacks and a spike in Islamophobia.</p> <p>"I hope all Australians can see the joy on display in Israel and the Palestinian occupied territories and take that as a sign that people do want to move on in peace," he told ABC TV.</p> <p>Australia Palestine Advocacy Network president Nasser Mashni said there was a sense of relief but Palestinians didn't trust Israel's word.</p> <p>"Israel needs to be held accountable by the international community ... international law must apply," he said.</p> <p>"Gaza is an apocalypse zone, the UN estimates it will take 15 years to clear the rubble.</p> <p>"The fact that the world has allowed it to go on for this long is shameful and history will judge those leaders very poorly."</p> <p>Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin doesn't believe the ceasefire will have a great effect on community tensions and anti-Semitism.</p> <p>"I think those who are determined to burn synagogues and menace and threaten and harass the Jewish community here in Australia, I don't think they will be placated by what's transpired diplomatically," he said.</p> <p>"We as a society, law enforcement, judiciary, in government need to keep this fight against anti-Semitism going, it's not going to evaporate on its own."</p> <p>Liberal senator Simon Birmingham also welcomed the ceasefire, saying if honoured, it would bring an end to the current bloodshed that had happened since the horrors of October 7, 2023.</p> <p>"This ceasefire comes from a position of Israeli strength and changed regional dynamic, which wouldn't have been possible had Israel simply yielded to initial one-sided ceasefire calls that were supported by Labor," he said.</p> <p>He referred to US President Joe Biden's remarks that the ceasefire was the result of extreme pressure on Hamas and the weakening of its backer, Iran.</p> <p>United Nations secretary general Antonio Guterres welcomed the ceasefire, adding it needed to ensure unimpeded aid into Gaza to address the humanitarian crisis.</p> <p>"The humanitarian situation is at catastrophic levels," he said.</p> <p>Children in Gaza needed to be able to safely access assistance with 18,000 killed since the start of the war and thousands others suffering life-altering injuries, Save The Children said.</p> <p>"The race is on to save children facing hunger and disease as the shadow of famine looms," Save The Children International CEO Inger Ashing said.</p> <p>The ceasefire provided "a glimmer of relief to Palestinian victims of Israel's genocide" but was overdue and wouldn't repair people's shattered lives, Amnesty International said.</p> </body>