Evacuations begin in Rafah ahead of Israel’s threatened assault

Israel has called on civilians to evacuate parts of Rafah in what appears to be preparation for a long-threatened assault on Hamas holdouts in the southern Gaza Strip city where more than a million war-displaced Palestinians have been sheltering. Instructed by Arabic text messages, telephone calls, and flyers to move to what the Israeli military … Read more

Police end pro-Palestine occupation at Columbia University in New York, in the US

Protesters have been taken into custody after Columbia University called in New York police to end the pro-Palestinian occupation on campus. Police said the university’s Hamilton Hall was cleared of pro-Palestinian protesters who took over the building on Tuesday. The scene unfolded as officers wearing helmets and carrying zip ties and riot shields massed at … Read more

UN rights chief Volker Turk ‘horrified’ by Gaza mass grave reports at Nasser and Al Shifa medical facilities

United Nations rights chief Volker Turk is “horrified” by the destruction of the Nasser and Al Shifa medical facilities in Gaza and reports of mass graves containing hundreds of bodies there, a spokesperson says. Palestinian authorities reported finding bodies in mass graves at a hospital in Khan Younis this week after it was abandoned by … Read more

Israel yet to prove UNRWA staff are terrorists, UN Secretary-General pleas for vital funding to be restored

Israel has yet to provide evidence for its accusations that hundreds of staff with the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) are members of terrorist groups, according to a review of the agency’s neutrality that could prompt some donor countries to review funding freezes. The United Nations appointed former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna to … Read more

US facing Vietnam-style humiliation in Ukraine: Russia

US lawmakers’ support for $US60.84 billion ($A94.83 billion) more in aid for Ukraine shows Washington is wading much deeper into a hybrid war against Moscow that will end in humiliation on a par with the Vietnam or Afghanistan conflicts, Russia says. President Vladimir Putin’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine has touched off the worst fall-out … Read more

Benjamin Netanyahu slams proposed sanctions on Israeli military

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he will fight sanctions being imposed on any Israeli military units for alleged rights violations, after media reports said Washington was planning such a step. Axios news site on Saturday reported Washington was planning to impose sanctions on Israel’s Netzah Yehuda battalion, which has operated in the occupied West … Read more

Australians plead for Gaza family visas, while federal government faces criticism over ‘unfair’ system

Just before the beginning of Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, Eman and Ahmed Shat were overjoyed to announce they would soon be welcoming their fourth child. Now in her third trimester of pregnancy and living in an overcrowded refugee camp in Rafah without basic essentials such as food and water, Eman, 29, is severely depressed … Read more

Bill Shorten: Don’t take peace for granted

The world seems to be in a constant state of upheaval. Since WWI, Australia has a proud history of supporting and contributing to the rules, norms and architecture that have been so central to the security and prosperity of our nation, our region and the world more broadly. From the United Nations and ANZUS, to … Read more

Australia sounds alarm over war in the Middle East after Israel launched retaliatory strikes on Iran

The federal government is alarmed after Israel launched retaliatory strikes on Iran, bringing the Middle East closer to a regional war. “Australia remains extremely concerned about the potential for miscalculation and further escalation of conflict in the region,” Acting Foreign Minister Katy Gallagher said on Friday. “This is in no one’s interests. Newsletters: Breaking news … Read more

US blocks Palestinian bid for full UN membership

The US has effectively stopped the United Nations from recognising a Palestinian state by casting a veto in the Security Council to deny Palestinians full membership of the world body. It vetoed a draft resolution that recommended to the 193-member UN General Assembly that “the State of Palestine be admitted to membership” of the UN. … Read more