Good afternoon readers. Gaza has been rocked by what is being described as Israel’s heaviest assault on the territory since a ceasefire came into effect in January.
Children were reportedly among those killed after Israel launched at least 35 airstrikes on the Gaza Strip. Israeli authorities have said the offensive will last “as long as necessary”, citing Hamas’ refusal to extend phase one of the ceasefire argument.
Phase one of the ceasefire agreement ended two weeks ago but Israel has refused to implement the scheduled second phase, which is supposed to end with its withdrawal from Gaza, the freedom of all remaining hostages held by Hamas, and a definitive end to the conflict.
Sally Thomas, the humanitarian manager at Caritas Australia, warned the strikes would affect aid distribution, urging global leaders to apply diplomatic and political pressure to protect Palestinians in Gaza. “We must not tolerate further suffering,” Thomas said.
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In pictures
Adelaide mosques have received fake fliers falsely accusing a former Hong Kong politician and Australian resident, Ted Hui, of being an pro-Israel lawyer willing to “wage war” against Islamic terrorism in an apparent attempt to intimidate him and undermine social cohesion. It is not yet known who sent the pamphlets – the Australian government said it would raise the matter with Chinese officials.
What they said …
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“We’re trying to save the party from a policy that will gift seats to their opponents.”
The Liberals Against Nuclear spokesperson Andrew Gregson was commenting on his advocacy group’s advertising campaign that recently launched in opposition to the Liberal party’s plan to build taxpayer-funded power plants.
In numbers
The 2025 Priced Out report, which analyses rental affordability for Australians earning between $40,000 and $130,000 per year, found rental stress has extended well beyond low-income earners as even renters earning $100,000 per year – well above the median income of $72,592 – are struggling in locations across Australia.
Before bed read
Network 10’s new late night show is being hosted by Sam Pang and unabashedly follows in the footsteps of its US counterparts. But can the new host lift Australia’s late-night show curse?
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: GUL. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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