Australia calls for Gaza ceasefire in joint statement with NZ and Canada

The prime ministers of Australia, New Zealand and Canada have called in a joint statement for a sustainable ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and an end to the “continuous suffering” of its citizens.

“We are alarmed at the diminishing safe space for civilians in Gaza,” a joint statement released on Wednesday said, as the Israeli bombardment of Hamas militants in the enclave continued.

“The price of defeating Hamas cannot be the continuous suffering of all Palestinian civilians.”

Health authorities in the Hamas-run Gaza say the death toll from Israel’s offensive has passed 18,000.

The Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and his New Zealand and Canadian counterparts, Chris Luxon and Justin Trudeau, said they wanted a resumption of the recent pause in fighting and supported “urgent international efforts towards a sustainable ceasefire”.

But they said any ceasefire “cannot be one-sided”.

“Hamas must release all hostages, stop using Palestinian civilians as human shields and lay down its arms,” they said.

The three leaders condemned “Hamas’ unacceptable treatment of hostages” and called for the immediate and unconditional release of the captives.

The Australian and Canadian governments both consider Hamas a terrorist organisation while New Zealand authorities have designated the entity’s military wing a terrorist group.

The joint statement condemned Hamas’ attack on Israel on 7 October and the “heinous acts of violence perpetrated in those attacks, including sexual violence”, after militants killed 1,200 people and took more than 200 hostages.

The three governments recognised Israel’s right to defend itself but said civilians and civilian infrastructure “must be protected”.

“In defending itself, Israel must respect international humanitarian law,” they said.

There was “no role for Hamas in the future governance of Gaza”, the leaders said while opposing “the forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, the re-occupation of Gaza, any reduction in territory and any use of siege or blockade” and backing a two-state solution.

Addressing developments in the West Bank, the joint statement described Israeli settlements and settler violence as “serious obstacles to a negotiated two-state solution”.

“We condemn rising antisemitism, Islamophobia, and anti-Arab sentiment in our countries and around the world and remain firmly committed to combatting prejudice, hatred, and violent extremism,” the three prime ministers said.

Following the release of the statement, Australia voted in favour of a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and an immediate and unconditional release of all hostages in an emergency session of the United Nations general assembly.

In a shift in position, Australia joined 152 other nations in voting in favour of the resolution on Wednesday morning. Canada and New Zealand also voted in favour.

Support for the humanitarian ceasefire was overwhelming, with only ten nations, including the United States, voting against and 23 countries, including the United Kingdom, abstaining.

The new UN vote follows Australia’s controversial decision in late October to abstain from casting an affirmative vote on a similar motion. At the time, the Albanese government argued the language was was “incomplete” because it did not mention Hamas as the perpetrator of the 7 October attack.

As well as championing a humanitarian ceasefire, the new motion expresses grave concern over “the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the suffering of the Palestinian civilian population.” It says Palestinian and Israeli civilian populations “must be protected in accordance with international humanitarian law.”

Australia’s ambassador to the UN, James Larsen, said human suffering in Gaza was “widespread and unacceptable”. He characterised the vote as an evolution of Australia’s position.

“Australia welcomed the humanitarian pause agreed by the parties in November and brokered by the United States, Egypt and Qatar,” Larsen said.

This resolution, calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, is the world urging these pauses be resumed, so urgent humanitarian aid can flow. Australia is part of that call and we support this resolution.”

Larsen said Australia saw such pauses as “critical steps on a path to a sustainable and permanent ceasefire”.

He said Australia had supported the amendments proposed by the US and Austria “because we believe this resolution should have gone further, by unequivocally condemning Hamas as the perpetrators of the 7 October attack on innocent Israeli civilians”.

The Australian foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, said the joint statement with Canada and New Zealand had been under discussion for “some time”.

Addressing reporters in Adelaide, Wong said was “important that very close allies and like-minded countries speak together in support of the position that we have articulated”.

Wong said the UN general assembly vote was “a collective statement about the need for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire” with broad support from like-minded partners and was “not a unilateral decision by Australia”.

“Hamas is dedicated to the destruction of Israel and to harming the Jewish people. Hamas has no place in the future governance of Gaza,” she said.