Relief as Australians leave Gaza through Rafah crossing
A group of 20 Australians, one permanent resident and two family members have crossed into Egypt from Gaza after a deal was made to open the Rafah crossing.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong expressed relief after confirming the group crossed the border out of Gaza and into Egypt, as the Middle Eastern conflict continues.
“We’ve been working towards this for a very long time … and I’m so relieved we have seen some Australians able to leave,” she told ABC Radio on Thursday.
“We were prepared on the Egyptian side with Australian officials to ensure that people were met and needs were assessed. We’ll continue to provide that consular assistance.”
However, she said about 20 Australian citizens plus family members remained in Gaza.
“After so much international lobbying, I’m just so relieved that the Rafah crossing has been opened, at least overnight,” Wong said.
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“We will keep working to ensure we get as many of that Australian cohort out as possible.”
The news channel Al Jazeera reported a higher figure, saying 34 Australians were on an official list as having crossed at Rafah on Wednesday.
Qatar on Wednesday brokered a deal between Egypt, Hamas and Israel – co-ordinated by the US – for the border crossing to open.
Wong urged Israel to listen to international calls for restraint during the conflict against Hamas, which is listed as a terrorist organisation by the federal government.
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“When friends like Australia urge Israel to exercise restraint and protect civilian lives, it is really critical that Israel listens,” she said.
“There are ongoing civilian deaths, you’ve seen the international response. I think the reality is the international community won’t accept civilian deaths.”
The comments followed Israeli air strikes that levelled apartment buildings at a refugee camp in Gaza, drawing international condemnation.
The Israeli military said it killed a senior Hamas commander and had destroyed “underground terror infrastructure” beneath buildings.
Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry said at least 50 people were killed in the Jabaliya refugee camp.
A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson said the government was helping 88 people in Gaza, which included Australians and their family members.
Assistant foreign minister Tim Watts said there were still more than 15,000 Australians in nearby Lebanon and reiterated warnings for people to leave due to fears the conflict could spread to other Middle East nations.
He said there were no plans for further repatriation flights from Lebanon and that citizens there should use commercial options available.
“Our strong advice to Australians in Lebanon is take the option to leave now,” he said.
“We can’t make any guarantees that Beirut airport will remain open if the conflict spreads to the south of Lebanon and departure options become much more complex.”
It comes after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spoke with Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, almost a month since the terror group launched a horrific attack that killed more than 1400 people.
