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

Thank you, Senator Van, for the question, and thank you for giving us a little bit of notice of some of the issues so that I could get some further details. Obviously, in relation to the first part of the question, the United Nations has reported that 1,200 Israelis have been killed in the conflict since 7 October. The vast majority of these Israelis were killed in the horrific events of 7 October. As I said, it is the biggest loss of Jewish life on any day since the Holocaust. Of course, we condemn these terrorist acts unequivocally. They cannot and should not be justified. In relation to hostages, I understand that the IDF has stated that the number of hostages still held captive is approximately 240, and I again reiterate our call, along with the international community, for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. I'm advised the UN reports that more than 11,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict.

This is a deeply distressing time for many in Australia, as we have talked about a number of times today. It is distressing for our Jewish community, who lost loved ones in the abhorrent attacks by Hamas. It is distressing for members of our Palestinian community who have lost loved ones in the conflict that has followed and for many more who feel deeply about this issue. I again say our first priority in this crisis must be to seek to keep our country unified. It is also to assist Australians abroad, and I have previously spoken in this chamber about ensuring that repatriation flights were arranged. Australia will continue to work with other countries that have influence in the region to prevent the conflict from spreading.