Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Birmingham for the question, and I start first by again saying that we saw devastating loss of life in the heinous attacks on Israel by Hamas and we have also seen tragic loss of life in the explosion at the hospital in Gaza. There has been, clearly, a devastating loss of civilian life, and I want to reiterate what I said yesterday and what the Prime Minister said: every innocent life matters, whether Israeli or Palestinian. We express that our thoughts are with those killed or injured and their loved ones, that the protection of civilian life must come first and that respect for international humanitarian law is paramount, and we join with others in doing so.

My response is to the question about the attack itself. Obviously this is a conflict zone. Assessments are difficult. I think it is probably most appropriate, again, to refer to the US National Security Council's words, which Senator Birmingham referenced. The statement that was made was:

While we continue to collect information, our current assessment … is that Israel is not responsible for the explosion at the hospital in Gaza yesterday.

What I would say, however, is that we recognise the great distress that so many in the Australian community are feeling at this time—from the Jewish community, and also from the Palestinian community and the Muslim community more generally. I think everybody looking at what has occurred, and most particularly or most recently the deaths of civilians at the hospital, would agree this is a tragic set of circumstances. (Time expired)