<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?> <docID>340623</docID> <postdate>2025-03-18 16:25:48</postdate> <headline>Australia calls to protect civilians after Gaza strikes</headline> <body><p><img class="size-full wp-image-340624" src="https://citynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/20240603155427850440-original-resized.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="601" /></p> <caption>Foreign Minister Penny Wong calls on Israel and Hamas to respect the terms of the ceasefire deal. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS)</caption> <p><span class="kicker-line">By <strong>Andrew Brown </strong>in Canberra</span></p> <p><strong>Australia's foreign minister urges for a ceasefire deal to be upheld in the Middle East after Israel launched a wave of air strikes on Gaza.</strong></p> <p>Israel's military said it had launched strikes on several Hamas targets in the enclave, with Palestinian authorities saying at least 200 people have died in the attack.</p> <p>The attack is the largest in the region since a ceasefire agreement came into effect in January.</p> <p>Foreign Minister Penny Wong called for that deal to be heeded.</p> <p>"Australia urges all parties to respect the terms of the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal, and for it to be implemented in full," Senator Wong said in a statement on social media on Tuesday.</p> <p>"All civilians must be protected. All parties must abide by international law. Terrorist group Hamas must release all hostages immediately, unconditionally and with dignity.</p> <p>"Palestinian civilians cannot pay the price of defeating Hamas. It has now been two weeks since humanitarian aid last entered Gaza."</p> <p>Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he ordered the strikes because of a lack of progress to extend the ceasefire with Hamas.</p> <p>The first phase resulted in 25 hostages being freed and eight bodies returned in exchange for the release of about 1900 Palestinian prisoners.</p> <p>Aid entering Gaza was suspended by Israel a day after the ceasefire lapsed in early March.</p> <p>No agreement for a second ceasefire stage has been reached.</p> <p>Senator Wong reiterated calls for aid to be reinstated to Gaza following the latest attacks.</p> <p>"We join partners, including the UK, Germany and France, in calling on Israel to abide by its obligations, including to provide basic services and facilitate humanitarian assistance," she said.</p> <p>"Australia supports ongoing international efforts to extend the ceasefire and urges the parties to engage constructively in negotiations towards a permanent end to hostilities."</p> <p>Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1200 people and taking some 250 people hostage, according to Israel's tallies.</p> <p>More than 48,000 people have been killed during Israel's counteroffensive, according to Gazan health authorities, and most of the 2.3 million-strong population displaced.</p> </body>