Zali Steggall (Warringah, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

Last week, I attended the Parliamentary Friends of Palestine roundtable with Usman Khawaja and Medecins Sans Frontieres to hear directly about the humanitarian situation in Gaza. We heard from Scarlett Wong, a Warringah constituent and former MSF field psychologist, who spent nearly a year in the West Bank providing psychological care to traumatised Palestinians. Her deep distress at the scale of human suffering just could not be ignored. Gaza's healthcare system is in complete collapse. At least 94 per cent of hospitals have been damaged or destroyed, targeted by the IDF. Nearly 1,400 health workers, doctors, nurses and medics have been killed in this conflict. Over the past 22 months, this conflict has become the deadliest in history for journalists, with at least 247 journalists killed according to the UN Human Rights Office. This also frequently appears to be on-purpose targeting by the IDF. Over half a million people are facing starvation. UNICEF estimates that at least 132,000 children under the age of five are facing starvation and malnutrition. As Usman Khawaja reminded us last week, this is not about politics or religion; it's about human rights. Australia has a proud legacy to stand up for. Israel is no longer a values aligned nation or ally, and I call on the government to take all actions possible.

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