THREE YEARS OF GENOCIDE IN GAZA AND THE CONTINUING ILLEGAL OCCUPATION
The Alliance of Australian Muslims (AAM) and Australian National Imams Council (ANIC) mark three years since the genocide in Gaza, three years of killing, destruction, displacement, starvation and immense suffering inflicted upon the Palestinian people.
According to United Nations reporting, by June 2026, at least 73,035 Palestinians had been reported killed and more than 173,000 injured. Palestinian health authorities have since reported that the toll has exceeded 74,000 Palestinians killed and 175,000 injured. These reported figures are believed to understate the true human toll, with many Palestinians still missing beneath the rubble and other deaths yet to be fully recorded or accounted for. Entire families have been wiped out, neighbourhoods reduced to rubble, hospitals, schools, mosques, churches and essential civilian infrastructure destroyed or severely damaged, and generations of Palestinian children have been left orphaned, injured, displaced and traumatised.
ANIC and AAM maintain that what the world has witnessed in Gaza is genocide, carried out in full view of the international community and in violation of the most fundamental principles of international law and humanity.
Although a ceasefire agreement was announced in October 2025, it has not brought an end to Palestinian deaths or suffering. Palestinians have continued to be killed and injured, humanitarian conditions remain critical, and severe restrictions continue to affect humanitarian assistance and essential services.
The devastation of Gaza and the humanitarian catastrophe inflicted upon its people cannot simply be forgotten because the intensity of the bombing has changed. For three years, the world has witnessed this catastrophe unfold in full view. International law, United Nations resolutions and repeated appeals from humanitarian organisations have failed to adequately protect the Palestinian people from continued killing, displacement, destruction and deprivation.
The suffering of the Palestinian people did not begin on 7 October 2023. For more than 78 years, Palestinians have endured dispossession, displacement, occupation and the continuing denial of their fundamental rights. Palestinians cannot continually be asked to endure injustice while the international community fails to address the conditions that perpetuate their oppression.
Australia’s formal recognition of the State of Palestine on 21 September 2025 is welcomed as an important and long-overdue step. Recognition, however, must be followed by meaningful action.
ANIC and AAM unequivocally reject antisemitism and all forms of hatred and discrimination. At the same time, ANIC and AAM reject attempts to conflate criticism of the State of Israel, its government, policies, political ideology or conduct with antisemitism. Criticism of a state, its government or its actions, including advocacy for Palestinian rights, justice and accountability under international law, must not be mischaracterised as hostility towards any other community. Such conflation undermines legitimate public debate, silences Palestinian voices and distracts from the genuine responsibility to confront antisemitism wherever it occurs.
ANIC and AAM call upon the Australian Government to:
- Take stronger diplomatic and practical action, including imposing meaningful sanctions against Israel, to bring an end to the illegal occupation, settlement expansion, forced displacement, violence and continued suffering of the Palestinian people.
- Impose a comprehensive two-way arms embargo and ensure that Australia does not contribute, directly or indirectly, to violations of international law.
- Demand full, safe and unhindered humanitarian access throughout Gaza and support the urgent rebuilding of homes, hospitals, schools and essential civilian infrastructure.
- Translate Australia’s recognition of the State of Palestine into meaningful political and diplomatic support for the Palestinian people’s right to freedom, dignity and genuine self-determination.
ANIC, AAM, their member Imams and Muslim organisations have stood, and will continue to stand, firmly with the Palestinian people and advocate strongly for their freedom, dignity, justice and fundamental rights.
ANIC and AAM also acknowledge and express their gratitude to the countless Australians of different faiths and backgrounds who have stood with the Palestinian people and the Palestinian cause, spoken out, peacefully protested, advocated for justice, provided humanitarian assistance and refused to remain silent in the face of Palestinian suffering.
ANIC and AAM call upon Australian Muslims and all people of conscience to continue to stand, speak and advocate peacefully and lawfully for justice and the rights of the Palestinian people. The passage of time must never normalise injustice, nor should the world become accustomed to Palestinian suffering. Our advocacy must continue until the Palestinian people are free, their rights are upheld, and justice is achieved.
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