Australia to attend international conference on Gaza humanitarian aid

Canberra, June 10 (IANS) Australia will attend an international conference on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the government has confirmed.

Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong on Monday announced that Anne Aly, the minister for early childhood development and minister for youth, will represent Australia at the conference in Amman, Jordan, that has been convened by Jordan, Egypt and the United Nations (UN), Xinhua news agency reported.

Wong said that Egyptian-born Aly was chosen because of her lived experience and understanding of the conflict in the Middle East.

They said in a joint statement that Australia has been clear that Israel must comply with the orders of the International Court of Justice and allow the provision of basic services and humanitarian assistance to Gaza and reiterated calls for the war to end.

"The humanitarian situation in Gaza is catastrophic. Over 1 million Palestinians are facing catastrophic levels of food insecurity, and around 1.7 million people have been displaced, many several times over. Humanitarian access remains grossly inadequate," Aly said.

Since the beginning of the conflict on October 7, 2023, the Australian government has committed 62.5 million Australian dollars (41.1 million US dollars) in humanitarian assistance to the region, including 41 million Australian dollars (27.0 million US dollars) to address urgent needs in Gaza.