As Federal Parliament continues its sitting agenda, the Voices For Gaza vigil enters its second day. Hundreds gathered at its commencement on Tuesday 22 July at 3pm, as several prominent Australians began reading the names of 17,000 Palestinian children killed by Israel. The event was marked by deep solemnity, as tears were shed in collective grief over the devastating reality that tens of thousands of children have been — and continue to be — unjustly and unlawfully killed in Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
From 3pm and into the late hours of the night, prominent Australian figures including Senator Larissa Waters, Senator David Shoebridge, actress Danielle McCormack, activists Ahmed Abadla, Aviva Tuffield, and Clementine Ford, Aboriginal rapper DOBBY, and Sarah Schwartz, Executive Officer at the Jewish Council of Australia, participated in the vigil.
Australia’s joint statement, released alongside 27 other nations, called for an immediate end to the war on Gaza, the full flow of humanitarian aid, and expressed support for an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire, marking one of its strongest positions yet. However, mere words continue to ring hollow. The Australian Government must now take immediate concrete action to end the genocide in Gaza, uphold the rights of civilians, and ensure perpetrators are brought to justice.
The Voices For Gaza group will continue the 24-hour vigil on Parliament Lawns to amplify urgent calls for action. This includes holding the Australian Government to its commitment to securing an immediate and permanent ceasefire, demanding accountability for war crimes, immediately suspending the export of weapons, parts, and munitions, ending Israel’s decades-long unlawful occupation within the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and upholding the Palestinian right to self-determination.
The 24-hour vigil is co-hosted by ActionAid Australia, Amnesty International Australia, Caritas Australia, ChildFund Australia, MAA International, Oxfam Australia, Plan International Australia, Save the Children, and Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
The vigil will officially conclude at 3pm on Wednesday 23 July.
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