CANBERRA, Apr 7 (NNN-AAP) – Australian government minister, Ed Husic, has accused Israel of a systematic failure to adhere to the laws of war in Gaza.
Husic, the minister for industry and science, and a member of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s cabinet, today said, the deaths of nearly 200 humanitarian workers in Gaza, reflect a failure by Israel, to distinguish between combatants and civilians.
“I believe this reflects a systematic failure within the Israeli government, to genuinely commit to the observance of international humanitarian law,” he told Sky News Australia.
“That’s why you’ve seen 33,000 Palestinians killed, 14,500 of which are children, and 77,000 injured – and then on top of that, 200 aid workers and 100 journalists.”
Australian citizen, Lalzawmi ‘Zomi’ Frankcom was killed along with six colleagues, from the World Central Kitchen (WCK), an aid organisation, in Israeli airstrikes in central Gaza on Monday.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on Friday published a summary of an initial investigation into the incident, concluding that the strike on WCK aid vehicles was a grave mistake stemming from a mistaken identification.
Richard Marles, Australia’s deputy prime minister and minister for defence, and Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Friday announced, Australia would appoint an independent special adviser to scrutinise the official investigation into the strikes.
Husic on Sunday said, the decision to appoint the adviser was a big step that would ensure a thorough investigation.
Marles and Wong said on Friday that, Israel’s response to the incident had not satisfied Australia’s expectations and asked that all evidence surrounding the strikes be preserved.– NNN-AAP
