Minister condemns killing of Australian woman in Israel

Kat Wong | October 11, 2023

The federal government has offered its condolences to the family of a Sydney-born woman killed by Islamic militants in Israel, as it considers putting on rescue flights.

Grandmother Galit Carbone, 66, was executed at the Be’eri kibbutz, kilometres from the Gaza Strip, News Corp reports, after the terrorist group Hamas launched deadly land and air attacks on Israel’s southern border on Saturday.

“This is heartbreaking news,” Home Affair Minister Clare O’Neil told Seven’s Sunrise program on Wednesday.

“What’s happened here is a senseless act of violence … and the Australian government condemns it in the strongest possible terms.

“I say to the Jewish community, we’re standing with you, wrapping our arms around and you and I express my deepest condolences for what has happened.”

Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong is leading efforts by the government to help the estimated 10,000 Australian residents or travellers in Israel who want to leave.

“This is one of the most important priorities for us coming out of what’s occurred in the previous days,” Ms O’Neil said.

Asked if rescue flights were being considered, Ms O’Neil said “we are looking at all options at the moment and we’ll do whatever is necessary … That is something that Minister Wong is looking at at the moment.”

In a continuation of a 75-year-long conflict, more than 1000 people are dead after the Islamist group Hamas attacked Israeli towns from the Palestinian territories.

The dead were overwhelmingly civilians who were gunned down in homes, on streets and at an outdoor dance party.

Scores of Israelis and some foreigners were captured and taken to Gaza as hostages. Some were paraded through the streets.

News Corp has reported mother of two Adi Kaplon, the daughter-in-law of an Australian man, is being held hostage by Hamas.

The death toll from Israel’s retaliatory air strikes is believed to have killed at least 830 people and wounded 4250 in Gaza.

The Israeli government has ordered a complete siege which will cut off food, fuel, water and electricity to Gaza while Hamas – which Australia has designated a terrorist organisation – has threatened to kill hostages if the bombing continues without warning.

Meanwhile, Palestinian Australians remain frustrated by the response of the federal government and other political leaders to the attack and the Israeli response.

“Palestinian Australians and their supporters have felt horrified by the one-sided response,” Australia Palestine Advocacy Network president Nasser Mashni said.

“(Israel) must not be given carte blanche to think they can get away with a genocide”.

Senator Wong says civilians must be protected but has not weighed in on whether restraint should be exercised by Tel Aviv when it came to the blockade.

“It’s always very difficult from over here to make judgments about what security approach other countries take,” she told ABC radio.

“Israel has the right to defend itself.”

Ramia Abdo Sultan woke up to discover 70 of her family members had been evacuated from their home in Gaza and a 25-year-old relative was dead.

Opening her phone to find out how her elected representatives would respond, all she could see were Australian politicians defending Israel’s bombing campaign on the Gaza Strip.

“We don’t have that freedom to stand up for justice,” Ms Sultan said.

“In the same way he condemned the actions of Hamas, the prime minister should equally call out the siege of 2.3 million Palestinians living inside Gaza.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese acknowledged Palestinian suffering over a long period of time but added “nothing justified what we saw on the weekend.”