In a stark and urgent statement issued Friday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declared that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has surpassed even the “world’s worst fears,” calling out Israel for actions that have led to the mass killing of civilians and the denial of life-saving aid.

“Gaza is in the grip of a humanitarian catastrophe,” the Prime Minister warned. “Tens of thousands of civilians are dead, children are starving.”

In one of the Australian government’s most forceful interventions since the escalation of the war, Albanese unequivocally condemned the killing of civilians—including children—attempting to access food and water, saying such acts “cannot be defended or ignored.”

The Prime Minister demanded that Israel immediately meet its obligations under international law, including allowing United Nations agencies and humanitarian organizations to operate without interference.

“Any proposals for the permanent forced displacement of the Palestinian population must be abandoned,” he added, in a thinly veiled rebuke of plans floated by far-right elements in the Israeli government.

He said that recognising the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for a state of their own has long been a bipartisan position in Australia. “The reason a two state solution remains the goal of the international community is because a just and lasting peace depends upon it.”

Albanese stressed that the path forward must be anchored in diplomacy and international law. “An immediate and permanent ceasefire gives the best hope of bringing hostages home and easing the agony of their loved ones,” he said.

As the death toll mounts and images of starving children and bombed-out neighborhoods in Gaza continue to horrify the world, Australia’s Prime Minister has placed his country among those calling not just for peace—but for urgent accountability and immediate humanitarian relief.

“Every innocent life matters. Every Israeli. Every Palestinian,” Albanese concluded. “Until that day [of peace] comes, every effort must be made here and now to end the suffering and starvation of the people of Gaza.”