MEDIA RELEASE
7 October 2026
This week marks three years since Israel began its genocide against Palestinians in Gaza following the Hamas-led attacks that killed over 1,000 people in Israel and saw hundreds taken hostage.
With no end in sight to the humanitarian crisis in Palestine, the Jewish Council of Australia reiterates its call for an immediate end to Israel’s genocide, occupation, and apartheid regime. Peace and safety will never be achieved without Palestinian rights to self-determination, equality and freedom.
Despite the apparent ceasefire, Israel has continued to launch strikes killing more than 1,400 people and injuring almost 5,000 this past year. Nearly all of Gaza’s population of 2 million people have been displaced and still lack access to shelter, food, medical care, clean water, education, and jobs. In the past 12 months Israel has expanded its warpath beyond Gaza, launching devastating attacks in Lebanon, Iran and continuing its takeover in the West Bank.
According to conservative estimates Israel has killed at least 1 out of every 31 people in Gaza since 7 October 202311. The UN, and all major human rights organisations agree that Israel is committing a genocide. In the West Bank, Palestinians face increasing settler and state violence while Israeli leaders have become even more explicit about their plans for further annexation. Tens of thousands of Palestinians remain imprisoned in inhumane conditions.
Australia’s legal and moral obligation remains: act now to end the genocide and pursue justice for Palestine. The Jewish Council is calling on the Australian government to:
- Impose country-level sanctions against Israel and against Israeli government officials responsible for war crimes;
- End the two-way arms trade with Israel;
- Hold Israel accountable for its blatant violations of international law.
- Support the Red Lines Package that would ensure Australia does not arm, fund, or invest in genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity or illegal occupation, anywhere in the world
Sarah Schwartz, Executive Director at the Jewish Council of Australia said:
“Three years on from October 7 and Israel is still using this awful attack to justify its ongoing genocide and campaign of ethnic cleansing. Australia has a legal and moral obligation to act as Israel repeatedly violates the terms of the ceasefire with total impunity.”
“Every life lost is a whole universe, both Palestinian and Israeli. But as Jews, we refuse to allow our identities to be weaponised to enable further killing and the silencing of advocacy for Palestinian rights.”
“Many of us are descended from survivors of genocide and ethnic cleansing. Today, it is deeply disturbing to witness the international community once again remaining complacent, with our own government digging in its heels on the wrong side of history.”
“Finger wagging from the Australian Government is a horrificaly inadequate response to a livestreamed genocide. We urge the Albanese government to step up and impose sanctions, end our complicity through the arms trade, and finally do what it takes to hold Israel accountable for its war crimes.”
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- Palestinian Ministry of Health, Gaza Government Media office Sept 28 2026 ↩︎