Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in an interview aired Sunday that Israel has “quite clearly” breached international law during the war in Gaza. While he supports a two-state solution, he also said, his country does not plan to “imminently” recognize a Palestinian state.

In an interview with public broadcaster ABC, Albanese said the news that Israel announced it was allowing and conducting airdrops of aid into Gaza is “a start,” but more must be done to protect Palestinian civilians.

Israel also announced that it will enact daily 10-hour “humanitarian pauses” of fighting in Gaza to facilitate aid entry and distribution, after facing major international pressure, due to mounting reports of starvation in the enclave.

Images of starving Gazans “break the heart,” Albanese said. “A one-year-old boy is not a Hamas fighter. The civilian casualties and deaths in Gaza are completely unacceptable. It’s completely indefensible.”

“My government has been very consistent in calling for a ceasefire,” Albanese said, adding that it has also been consistent in calling on the Hamas terrorists to release the 50 Israeli and foreign captives it is holding.

“We have rules of engagement and they are there for a reason. They are to stop innocent lives........

© The Times of Israel