Good afternoon. The Australian government is urging restraint to protect civilian lives as fighting continues in southern Israel and the Gaza Strip.
The latest death toll stands at 413 Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, and at least 700 Israelis from Hamas’s weekend incursions into neighbouring towns in Israel’s south, with thousands more wounded on both sides.
Here’s an explainer on what caused this dramatic escalation, and an analysis on how this attack will reshape Middle East diplomacy.
Top news
Australian man escapes Hamas attack | An Australian man who attended a music festival in the Negev desert, near the besieged Gaza Strip, has spoken of his harrowing escape as Hamas militants attacked. Israeli authorities say they have found at least 260 bodies at the site of the Supernova music festival.
Egypt police officer kills two Israeli tourists and guide | An Egyptian police officer fired “at random” at an Israeli tour group visiting Alexandria using his personal weapon, prompting the Israeli national security cabinet to urge citizens to leave Egypt “as soon as possible”.
MP downplays domestic repercussions from Israel-Palestine | Education minister Jason Clare downplayed concerns of tensions boiling over from the Middle Eastern conflict. A pro-Palestinian rally in Lakemba and celebrations in Greenacre last night were condemned by the Australian Jewish Association, while the Australian National Imams Council reiterated its support for “the Palestinian people’s right for self determination”.
Landmarks to light up in support of Israel | The Sydney Opera House and Melbourne landmarks will light up in blue and white tonight in solidarity with Israel. Meanwhile, the Palestine Action Group Sydney say they will hold a rally at the Sydney Town Hall tonight calling for a free Palestine.
Commonwealth Games saga continues | The now Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan (pictured), was briefed on a $1.9bn extra cost of the games four months before it was cancelled, an inquiry has heard. Tim Ada, the secretary of the Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions, said the estimated budget grew from $2.6bn in March 2022 to $4.5bn a year later. The state government cancelled the games in July, with then premier Daniel Andrews citing cost estimates tripling to $7bn.
Services Australia, university strikes | Some Services Australia staff joined a 24-hour strike today to push the government to improve the pay offer for public service workers. Separately, Monash University staff have begun a two-day strike over pay and job security, which follows a week-long strike at the University of Melbourne that wrapped up on Friday and a 36-hour strike at RMIT.
British inquiry into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan | A public inquiry into allegations that 80 Afghans were summarily killed by members of three different British SAS units begins this week amid pleas from victims’ families to uncover the truth behind the deaths.
In video
A video has emerged of the mayor of Barkly (pictured) in Northern Territory, sitting on an Indigenous child in what appears to be a citizen’s arrest. The mayor is shown contacting police while another man is threatening the child.
What they said …
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“Yes is moral choice, and no would be a travesty for the country and we will possibly never live it down.” – Noel Pearson
In numbers
The Lonergan Research survey comes as ABS data shows decline in public enrolments.
Before bed read
In the face of increasingly strained relations with the west, Beijing is attempting to build its influence in the global south. Xi Jinping (pictured) wants a “multipolar world” as China accelerates its shift away from the west.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: PALM. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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