Australia to Provide Another $10 Million in Humanitarian Aid to Gaza

A woman and boy stand next to a wheelchair loaded with humanitarian aid packages in central Gaza City, on August 27, 2024. Omar Al-Qattaa/AFP via Getty Images

Australia has announced another $10 million (US$6.8 million) in humanitarian aid for Gaza and the West Bank to respond to the crisis in the war-torn region.

Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said the funding would go toward the UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) and UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund), focusing on providing lifesaving assistance for women and girls.

This includes delivering nutrition support, hygiene, and dignity kits to those in need.

The latest round of humanitarian aid comes three months after a support package for Gaza in June, which focused on food assistance for civilians at risk of famine.

Since Oct. 7, 2023, the Australian government has committed $82.5 million in humanitarian funding to address the needs of people in the region.

Wong said the Australian government was calling on parties in the conflict to ensure the safe, rapid, and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian assistance to people in dire need, as well as the safety of all aid workers.

“We continue to press for a ceasefire, the protection of civilians and the release of hostages,” she said in a statement.

International Development Minister Pat Conroy also urged the two sides to reach a ceasefire agreement.

“The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. Civilians should not be made to pay the price for the horrendous acts of others. The suffering must stop,” he said.

“We support the ceasefire endorsed by the U.N. Security Council and want to see it fully implemented by both parties. Any delay will only see more lives lost.”

Ceasefire Not in the Horizon

Australia’s new funding comes as a ceasefire between Palestine and Israel is unlikely to happen anytime soon.

In early September, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said negotiators were not close to reaching a ceasefire deal.

He said Hamas, which has been designated as a terrorist organisation, was responsible for the deadlock.

Recently, a number of officials in the U.S. government have expressed concerns that both sides might not be able to reach a ceasefire and hostage deal before Biden’s term ends in January 2025.

In a related development, Israeli President Isaac Herzog has denied claims that the country was behind the series of attacks via pagers and walkie-talkies that rocked Lebanon in the middle of September.

The attacks resulted in dozens of deaths and thousands of injuries, prompting the Lebanese government to declare them as an act of criminal Israeli aggression.