Children are believed to be among the 45 Australians in Gaza wanting assistance to leave the enclave as violence escalates.

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles told the ABC there were more than double the previously reported number of Australians stuck in the Gaza Strip, which was reported to be 19.

He said: “Their situation is obviously extremely difficult.”

“We are looking at ways … and working very hard to find ways in which we can get those people to safety.

“And that, obviously, includes working with other countries around the establishment of a humanitarian corridor out of Gaza. That hasn’t happened yet. But we are doing what we can in very, very challenging circumstances.”

When asked if these 45 include any children, he said: “These include families, so I’d imagine that that is the case. But we are working very closely with them.

“But this is clearly a very challenging situation and at this point, there isn’t a humanitarian corridor out of Gaza. But we continue to work with others in the international community to see that established.”

 Israel said it would attack the Hamas movement that rules Gaza, after its fighters burst across the barrier surrounding the enclave on October 7, gunning down 1,300 Israelis, mainly civilians, in the deadliest day in Israel’s 75-year history.

Hamas is a Palestinian military and political group, which gained power in the Gaza Strip after winning legislative elections there in 2006. Its stated aim is to establish a Palestinian state, while refusing to recognise Israel’s right to exist.

Hamas, in its entirety, is designated as a terrorist organisation by countries including Australia, Canada, the UK and the U.S. New Zealand and Paraguay list only its military wing as a terrorist group.

In 2018, the United Nations General Assembly voted against a resolution condemning Hamas in its entirety as a terrorist organisation.

Source: SBS News