Key Points
- Authorities are scrambling to confirm the safety of Australians in Israel.
- It comes as NSW Police say they are investigating the pro-Palestinian protest held in Sydney on Monday.
- State Premier Chris Minns said the protest should not have proceeded.
NSW Police are investigating the pro-Palestinian protest held outside the Sydney Opera House on Monday, after footage emerged of a small group appearing to chant anti-Semitic slogans at the demonstration.
The rally, organised by the Palestine Action Group Sydney, demanded Australia cut ties with Israel and urged supporters to "protest in solidarity with Palestine".
Hundreds of attendees marched from Town Hall to the harbour foreshore on Monday evening, where the iconic Opera House sails were lit in blue and white in support of Israel.
NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Tony Cooke said on Tuesday the force was reviewing footage from the protest to determine if offences were committed.
NSW Premier Chris Minns said the protest should not have proceeded, but he would not “second guess” a police decision to allow demonstrators to move to the Sydney Opera House.
"I’ve also said repeatedly now we can’t have an intolerable situation where the Jewish community are being told or feel like they can’t participate in their own city," he said.
Minns said police had made an “operational decision” to widen protest boundaries, and insisted police would pursue charges if any acts reached a criminal threshold.
But Opposition leader Peter Dutton demanded Minns provide a “proper explanation” on why the protest was allowed to proceed.
Dutton said, while it was appropriate for protesting groups to be separated by police, the demonstration did not catch NSW authorities by surprise.
Protest organiser Fahad Ali condemned antisemititic elements in the crowd, and said anyone “looking to start trouble” was not welcome in the movement.
"I intervened to shut down antisemitic chants from a group of idiots who were in the minority. Police told me to my face that they would not assist," he wrote on X, formerly know as Twitter.
"This behaviour was not only vulgar, but completely selfish: it has served as a distraction from the immense human suffering in Gaza and calls for genocide and collective punishment by Israeli officials, which this morning foreign minister Penny Wong failed to condemn."
Buildings in Gaza City destroyed after an Israeli air strike on Monday. Source: Getty, NurPhoto / Sameh Rahmi
The Australian newspaper reported on Tuesday the daughter-in-law of an Australian man had been captured by Hamas militants.
Comment was being sought from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Defence Minister Richard Marles would not provide details of any Australian hostages, but confirmed there were no Australian casualties at this stage.
"We will be pretty reticent about talking about any individual cases," he told Seven's Sunrise program on Tuesday.
The significant escalation is the latest in a long-standing conflict between Hamas and Israel.
Hamas is a Palestinian military and political group, gaining 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.
About 10,000 Australians live in Israel and many more are tourists, with authorities seeking to assess their wellbeing.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said there were concerns about wider conflict in the region.
"There are concerns about Australians in the Middle East ... and we continue to work through (the Department of) Foreign Affairs to provide support," he told reporters in South Australia.
Israeli soldiers at an area along the border with Gaza on Monday. Source: AAP, EPA / Atef Safadi
"I believe it has shocked the world for very good reasons, which is why the world has united in condemnation of it."
Hamas, in its entirety, is designated as a terrorist organisation by countries including Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Some countries list only its military wing as a terrorist group.
The United Nations though did not condemn Hamas in its entirety as a terrorist organisation, due to insufficient support from member states to do so during a 2018 vote.
