Safety of Australians top priority as Israel war rages
Authorities are trying to confirm the safety of thousands of Australians in the Middle East, amid concerns about how to get them out as the conflict escalates.
A woman is seen during a vigil for the victims of the recent attacks in Israel, at the Caulfield Shule, Melbourne on Monday. Photo: AAP Image/Con Chronis
The safety of Australians in the Middle East remains the federal government’s top priority as the war between Israel and Palestine escalates.
About 900 people are dead and thousands more wounded after the Islamist group Hamas attacked Israeli towns on Saturday in a continuation of a 75-year-long Arab-Israel conflict.
At least a further 400 were killed in Israel’s retaliatory attacks and Hamas is now threatening to execute hostages if the strikes continue.
There are unconfirmed reports of an Australian hostage. Defence Minister Richard Marles would not provide more detail but he 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.
About 10,000 Australians live in Israel and many more are tourists.
“So right now we are in the process of trying to assess the wellbeing of all of those Australians,” Mr Marles said.
There are also concerns about how to get Australians out of the country as the conflict escalates with commercial flights becoming limited.
The Australian government continued to monitor the flight situation but Tel Aviv airport remained open, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said there were concerns about wider conflict in the region and the safety of Australians in the Middle East.
“The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade are working on a 24-hour basis to keep on top of the situation,” he told Adelaide radio 5AA.
-AAP
