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Foreign Minister Penny Wong has backed Israel’s right to defend itself as the nation announced it would impose a complete siege on Gaza, including cutting off supplies of electricity, food, water and fuel to the Palestinian enclave.
As footage emerged of at least four Israelis being executed soon after being taken hostage by Hamas, the militant group threatened to kill one hostage for every Israeli attack on Gaza that lands without warning and to broadcast the executions for the world to see.
Israeli firefighters extinguish fire at a site struck by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, in Ashkelon, southern Israel, on Monday.Credit: AP
“Israel has a right to defend itself, and this was an abhorrent attack,” Wong told ABC radio on Tuesday morning.
“The taking of hostages, the attacks on civilians, the sorts of images, awful images that we are seeing, reminds us of the security situation that Israel confronts.
“This is really a dreadful situation, a devastating loss of life.”
Responding to the surprise attacks over the weekend that claimed more than 900 lives in Israel, the nation’s defence minister Yoav Gallant said: “I have given an order: Gaza will be under complete siege.
“We are fighting barbarians and will respond accordingly.”
Asked whether Israel’s response could amount to a form of collective punishment, Wong said: “I think it’s always very difficult from over here to make judgments about what security approach other countries take.
“We’ve said Israel has a right to defend itself. We call for all hostages to be released.”
Wong added that the government had a principled position that all actors should seek to protect civilian lives and act with restraint.
A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said the government was seeking to confirm the welfare of Australians who may have been caught in the attack on Israel.
“Australian officials are monitoring the situation closely and remain in touch with local authorities,” the spokesperson said.
A spokesperson for Hamas’ armed wing said it would begin killing civilian hostages and broadcasting the act if Israel targets people in Gaza without giving notice.
“We declare that we will respond to any targeting of our people who are safe in their homes without warning, with the execution of our civilian hostages, and we will broadcast it with audio and video,” Abu Obaida said in a statement posted on the Al-Qassam Brigades’ Telegram channel.
Graphic videos, reviewed and reported by The Washington Post, showed at leat four Israeli hostages being killed soon after being taken captive in a street in Be’eri, a kibbutz in southern Israel.
At least 687 Palestinians were killed and at least 3,726 injured, authorities in Gaza said.
The leaders of the United Kingdom, United States, France, Germany and Italy on Tuesday released a joint statement expressing “steadfast and united support” for the state of Israel and expressing “unequivocal condemnation” of Hamas.
“We make clear that the terrorist actions of Hamas have no justification, no legitimacy, and must be universally condemned,” the leaders said.
“There is never any justification for terrorism.”
A senior US Defence official said that the US military’s increased presence in the Middle East – including the deployment of the massive Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier – was intended to serve as a deterrent signal to Iran, Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and other actors in the region not to join in the hostilities.
The official said the US was making it “very clear to adversaries or those that might be entering this conflict to escalate it that they should think twice and not take advantage of the instability.”
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