Key Points
- A devastating blast at al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza has killed roughly 500 people.
- Hamas and the Palestinian Authority have blamed the blast on an Israeli airstrike, claims Israel denies.
- The prime minister says the government condemns "indiscriminate attacks and targeting of civilian infrastructure".
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called for the protection of civilians in Gaza in the wake of a deadly hospital blast that killed roughly 500 people.
"The scenes from the explosion at a Gaza City hospital are deeply distressing and it is clear that there has been a devastating loss of life," Albanese told reporters in Canberra on Wednesday.
"Every innocent life matters, that's whether it is Israeli or Palestinian."
Albanese condemns 'indiscriminate attacks' against civilians
Albanese said protection of civilian lives must come first and respect for international humanitarian law was "paramount".
"We condemn any indiscriminate attacks and targeting of civilian infrastructure, including hospitals," he said.
"Australia joins with others in calling for international law to always be upheld."
Palestinian Authority's health minister, Mai Alkaila, said an Israeli airstrike was to blame for the blast at al-Ahli Arab Hospital.
Israel denies responsibility for hospital blast
Israel's military denied responsibility, blaming a failed rocket launch by a Palestinian militant group, Islamic Jihad.
The group denied that any of its rockets were involved in the hospital blast, saying it did not have any activity in or around Gaza City at that time.
The blast marked the deadliest single incident since the significant escalation of conflict between Israel and Hamas earlier this month.
Israel hasthat controls Gaza after Hamas gunmen killed 1,300 people, mainly civilians,- the deadliest single day in Israel's 75-year history.
Health authorities in Gaza say at least 3,000 people have been killed in Israel's 11-day bombardment.
Hamas is a Palestinian military and political group, which has gained power in the Gaza Strip since winning legislative elections there in 2006. Its stated aim is to establish a Palestinian state, while refusing to recognise Israel's right to exist.
Hamas, in its entirety, is designated as a terrorist organisation by countries including Australia, Canada, the UK and the US. New Zealand and Paraguay list only its military wing as a terrorist group.
In 2018, the United Nations General Assembly voted against a resolution condemning Hamas in its entirety as a terrorist organisation.
Palestinians inspect the destroyed National Bank building in Gaza City following Israeli air strikes. Source: Getty / Haitham Imad
Penny Wong urges Australians to leave Israel
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has as the situation remains highly challenging and rapidly changing.
Seats on a number of repatriation flights had been left empty despite all of them being allocated, the foreign minister said.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced by the Israel-Hamas conflict. Source: Getty / AFP
A Qantas flight from London is due to land in Sydney on Wednesday with about 300 passengers on board.
The government is also working to support Australians to leave the West Bank as it liaises with international partners to arrange transport to Jordan.
The safety of the reported 46 Australians in Gaza remains unknown.
