Australia's shadow foreign minister and former finance minister, Simon Birmingham, has urged the international community to pressure Hamas into releasing Israeli hostages.
"Hamas needs to surrender. Doing so will pave the way for a ceasefire and halt hostilities. It's tragic that Hamas refuses to release the hostages and dismantle its terrorist infrastructure," the politician told Sky News Australia.
"We must strip Hamas of its capabilities and secure the release of the hostages. We fully support these objectives," added a prominent Australian opposition figure.
