While many Western leaders, including Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, initially welcomed the Gaza ceasefire as a potential turning point, hopes of lasting peace in Gaza have been dashed as Israel continues to violate Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan. The IDF is still bombing Gaza, killing over 200 Palestinians in airstrikes and drone attacks since the ceasefire came into effect on 10 October 2025. Israeli human rights group B’TSelem also reports Israel’s deliberate policy of starvation in Gaza continues, denying the entry of approximately 75 per cent of aid trucks trying to enter the enclave, despite promising to allow in 600 trucks per day. UNICEF also reports Israel is blocking the entry of essential items like syringes for vaccinations and baby formula.
Israel’s actions raise important questions about the efficacy of the peace plan and the ability of international partners to enforce compliance in the face of persistence airstrikes and continuing aid obstruction, but it also calls for a reassessment of how states such as Australia can exert diplomatic and economic pressure to ensure adherence to international humanitarian law.
One proposed approach for strengthening accountability would involve Australia adopting targeted sanctions against Israeli political and military leaders until the peace plan’s provisions – particularly the withdrawal from Gaza and the facilitation of humanitarian access – are fulfilled. This policy would mirror Australia’s existing sanctions framework for Russia following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which combined asset freezes and travel bans to increase diplomatic pressure on specific officials. Analysts suggest that similar measures, if applied to Israel, could signal Australia’s commitment to upholding consistent international standards.
Another possible measure concerns defence cooperation. Australia currently maintains limited but significant links with Israel’s defence industry, including procurement relationships with companies such as Elbit Systems. Restricting arms exports or suspending defence contracts could reduce Australia’s indirect involvement in the conflict and align with precedents set by European states such as Spain, which recently imposed a permanent ban on weapons sales to Israel. The Spanish government is now investigating company Sidenor for complicity in crimes against humanity and genocide in Gaza; an act of accountability Australia could mimic.
Finally, policy experts note that any sanctions or restrictions should form part of a broader framework for legal accountability. Supporting ongoing international legal proceedings – such as South Africa’s case at the International Court of Justice and investigations by the International Criminal Court – could strengthen global mechanisms for addressing alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. For Australia, active participation in these processes would reaffirm its commitment to the international rule of law and its obligations under the Rome Statute.
Further to this, the Australian government has an opportunity to offer its full support for the International Criminal Court’s investigation into Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant, including calling for further warrants to be issued for Israeli politicians and military personnel. While Netanyahu is unlikely to visit anytime soon, Albanese should also make it clear that he would be arrested on Australian soil, something Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney committed to recently. This approach would be consistent with Australia’s vow to arrest Vladimir Putin, and its legal obligation as a signatory to the Rome Statute and member of the ICC.
Closer to home, the Australian Federal Police needs to monitor, investigate and prosecute Australian’s known to be serving in the IDF, and any Israeli citizens visiting on tourist visas who are suspected of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. This is an approach consistent with both international and Australian domestic law and recommended by Australian UN expert Chris Sidoti. It would be similar to prosecuting Australian foreign fighters who joined groups like Islamic State in Iraq or Syria, and would help ensure community safety and send a strong message of accountability to Israel.
These are not extreme measures, they are actionable steps consistent with international law and similar to efforts by Australian to hold perpetrators in Russia, Myanmar and elsewhere accountable for atrocities again civilians. It should not be controversial to hold Israel to the same standard for what Amnesty International calls the “most documented genocide in history” in Gaza and its decades-long occupation in the West Bank.
History tells us oppression and violence stops when the perpetrators are held accountable, and when there is justice for the victims. Israel-Palestine is no different. It is past time for Australia and others to end Israel’s impunity. Otherwise, the cycle of oppression and violence will be allowed to continue.
The views expressed in the Near East Policy Forum are those of the authors and do not represent the views of the Near East Policy Forum or any of its partner organisations.
