The Australian government has confirmed that Australia will attend an international conference on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced on Monday that Anne Ali, Minister of Early Childhood Education and Minister of Youth, will represent Australia at the conference to be held by Jordan, Egypt and the United Nations in Amman, Jordan.

Wong said Egyptian-born Ann Ali was chosen because of her lived experience and understanding of the conflict in the Middle East.

They said in a joint statement that Australia had made clear that Israel must comply with the orders of the International Court of Justice and allow the provision of basic services and humanitarian aid to Gaza, and they reiterated their call for an end to the war.

“The humanitarian situation in Gaza is catastrophic, with more than a million Palestinians facing catastrophic levels of food insecurity, and about 1.7 million people have been displaced, multiple times,” said Anne Ali. “The delivery of humanitarian aid remains woefully inadequate.”

It is worth noting that since the beginning of the conflict on 7 October 2023, the Australian Government has allocated A$62.5 million (US$41.1 million) in humanitarian assistance to the region, including A$41 million (US$27.0 million) to address urgent needs in Gaza.