1 00:00:00,600 --> 00:00:05,720 Speaker 1: Already, and this is the Daily This is the Daily Oas. Oh, 2 00:00:05,920 --> 00:00:06,920 Speaker 1: now it makes sense. 3 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:19,400 Speaker 2: Good morning and welcome to the Daily OS. It's Thursday, 4 00:00:19,440 --> 00:00:22,319 Speaker 2: the ninth of May. I'm Sam, I'm Billy. In a 5 00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:26,360 Speaker 2: major development in the Israel Hamas War, Israeli forces have 6 00:00:26,520 --> 00:00:30,040 Speaker 2: entered the southern Garden city of Raffa in an operation 7 00:00:30,360 --> 00:00:34,120 Speaker 2: they say is aimed at destroying Hamas targets. For the 8 00:00:34,159 --> 00:00:37,360 Speaker 2: one point four million people in Rafa, this presents yet 9 00:00:37,479 --> 00:00:41,400 Speaker 2: another major challenge, with many having nowhere to go. In 10 00:00:41,440 --> 00:00:45,400 Speaker 2: today's podcast, we'll discuss Rafa's significance in the broader context 11 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:49,320 Speaker 2: of the conflict, how the international community has responded, and 12 00:00:49,360 --> 00:00:52,199 Speaker 2: whether we're any closer to a cease file. Before we 13 00:00:52,240 --> 00:00:55,000 Speaker 2: get to that, though, Billy, what is making headlines this morning? 14 00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:02,760 Speaker 1: The driver involved in last year's fatal Hunter Valley bus 15 00:01:02,800 --> 00:01:05,640 Speaker 1: crash has pleaded guilty in a New South Wales court. 16 00:01:06,160 --> 00:01:09,000 Speaker 1: The crash killed ten people who were returning from a 17 00:01:09,040 --> 00:01:11,559 Speaker 1: wedding in a bus driven by fifty nine year old 18 00:01:11,640 --> 00:01:15,840 Speaker 1: Brett Andrew Button. Button has pleaded guilty to thirty five charges, 19 00:01:15,880 --> 00:01:20,440 Speaker 1: including ten counts of dangerous driving occasioning death. Button has 20 00:01:20,480 --> 00:01:23,080 Speaker 1: been taken into custody in Newcastle and will face court 21 00:01:23,120 --> 00:01:24,400 Speaker 1: again later this month. 22 00:01:26,720 --> 00:01:29,839 Speaker 2: International students will need to prove they have more savings 23 00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:33,200 Speaker 2: before being granted a visa to study in Australia. That's 24 00:01:33,240 --> 00:01:37,240 Speaker 2: under new government measures. From tomorrow, the minimum required savings 25 00:01:37,280 --> 00:01:39,920 Speaker 2: to be eligible for a student visa will increase from 26 00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:42,440 Speaker 2: twenty four and a half thousand dollars to nearly thirty 27 00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:45,840 Speaker 2: thousand dollars. The government says the update means students will 28 00:01:45,880 --> 00:01:49,240 Speaker 2: be less likely to be in quote financial distress during 29 00:01:49,280 --> 00:01:52,000 Speaker 2: their studies in Australia and be less likely to breach 30 00:01:52,040 --> 00:01:55,440 Speaker 2: their visa conditions or become vulnerable to worker exploitation. 31 00:01:57,640 --> 00:02:00,840 Speaker 1: After six months, a Senate inquiry into Australia's supermarkets has 32 00:02:00,880 --> 00:02:05,240 Speaker 1: handed down its final report. The inquiry investigated claims major 33 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:09,200 Speaker 1: supermarkets have been overcharging customers during the cost of living crisis. 34 00:02:09,680 --> 00:02:12,480 Speaker 1: It recommended making price gouging, which is the practice of 35 00:02:12,480 --> 00:02:17,079 Speaker 1: setting unnecessarily high prices for certain goods, illegal. Australia's two 36 00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:20,760 Speaker 1: major supermarkets, Coals and Woolworth, have rejected claims that they 37 00:02:20,760 --> 00:02:24,280 Speaker 1: are unfairly increasing the prices of their products. 38 00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:29,520 Speaker 2: And today's good news renewable energy made up a record 39 00:02:29,639 --> 00:02:33,320 Speaker 2: thirty percent of global energy generated in twenty twenty three. 40 00:02:33,760 --> 00:02:36,880 Speaker 2: That's a new start. According to the Global Electricity Review 41 00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:40,880 Speaker 2: by the UK organization mber Climate, It reported a twenty 42 00:02:40,919 --> 00:02:44,079 Speaker 2: three percent increase in solar generation and a ten percent 43 00:02:44,160 --> 00:02:47,639 Speaker 2: increase in wind generation last year, and besaid the world 44 00:02:47,720 --> 00:02:50,880 Speaker 2: has reached a turning point where renewables have started to 45 00:02:50,880 --> 00:02:53,360 Speaker 2: push fossil generation into decline. 46 00:02:57,320 --> 00:03:00,560 Speaker 1: Okay, Sam, So, it's been eight months now since October 47 00:03:00,600 --> 00:03:05,520 Speaker 1: seven when Hamas launched an attack on Israel, and Israel's 48 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:08,679 Speaker 1: focus now has turned to the city of Raufa, which 49 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:11,720 Speaker 1: is in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. Before 50 00:03:11,760 --> 00:03:14,400 Speaker 1: we get to Rufa, though, can we go back and 51 00:03:14,440 --> 00:03:17,600 Speaker 1: can you just quickly give us a high level explanation 52 00:03:17,680 --> 00:03:20,320 Speaker 1: of what has happened in the last eight months. 53 00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:23,000 Speaker 2: Sure? So. On the seventh of October, eight months ago, 54 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:26,840 Speaker 2: as you say, Hamas, which Australia lists as a terrorist organization, 55 00:03:27,280 --> 00:03:30,760 Speaker 2: launched an attack on Israel. Now, according to data cited 56 00:03:30,760 --> 00:03:33,880 Speaker 2: by the United Nations, roughly twelve hundred people were killed 57 00:03:33,919 --> 00:03:37,480 Speaker 2: in that attack, Hamas captured about two hundred and forty hostages, 58 00:03:37,560 --> 00:03:41,520 Speaker 2: and one hundred and thirty three remain captive today. Israel 59 00:03:41,560 --> 00:03:45,720 Speaker 2: responded by declaring war and bombarding Gaza, and according to 60 00:03:45,800 --> 00:03:48,680 Speaker 2: data cited by the UN, more than thirty four thousand, 61 00:03:48,800 --> 00:03:52,800 Speaker 2: seven hundred Palestinians have been killed since the seventh of October. 62 00:03:53,160 --> 00:03:56,760 Speaker 2: Now significant to this story, Israel's war in Gaza has 63 00:03:56,840 --> 00:04:01,320 Speaker 2: caused a humanitarian crisis and importantly as well to this story. 64 00:04:01,400 --> 00:04:04,480 Speaker 2: At the beginning of the Israel Hamas war in Gaza, 65 00:04:04,920 --> 00:04:08,000 Speaker 2: the Israeli military's focus was on the north of the territory, 66 00:04:08,080 --> 00:04:12,160 Speaker 2: cities in Gaza like Gaza City and Jibalia, and the 67 00:04:12,200 --> 00:04:16,000 Speaker 2: IDF ordered civilians in Gaza in those areas to flee 68 00:04:16,080 --> 00:04:19,760 Speaker 2: to southern areas of Gaza, including areas like Rafa and 69 00:04:19,800 --> 00:04:21,440 Speaker 2: a city called khan Unice. 70 00:04:21,800 --> 00:04:25,080 Speaker 1: Right, So, when Israel declared its war on Hamas in Gaza, 71 00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:28,000 Speaker 1: its focus was in the northern parts of the territory 72 00:04:28,080 --> 00:04:30,040 Speaker 1: and it told civilians to flee south. 73 00:04:30,360 --> 00:04:32,839 Speaker 2: Yeah, and they did exactly that. So they moved south 74 00:04:32,960 --> 00:04:35,480 Speaker 2: and as a result, one point four million people are 75 00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:39,320 Speaker 2: currently sheltering in Rafa and an adjacent refugee camp to 76 00:04:39,400 --> 00:04:42,120 Speaker 2: avoid the violence. And just to give you some context 77 00:04:42,240 --> 00:04:45,880 Speaker 2: on Rafa, Rafa is approximately sixty four square kilometers. 78 00:04:46,120 --> 00:04:47,960 Speaker 1: That is really really small. 79 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:50,560 Speaker 2: It's tiny, and if you break that down, that means 80 00:04:50,640 --> 00:04:54,720 Speaker 2: there's nearly twenty two thousand people per square kilometer, and 81 00:04:54,760 --> 00:04:57,560 Speaker 2: that makes it one of the most population dense locations 82 00:04:57,560 --> 00:05:02,080 Speaker 2: in the world. There's also huge sanitarian significance to Raffa. 83 00:05:02,600 --> 00:05:05,520 Speaker 2: The city is a critical point of entry for trucks 84 00:05:05,720 --> 00:05:09,719 Speaker 2: that are delivering humanitarian aid from Egypt via the Rafa crossing. 85 00:05:10,080 --> 00:05:12,000 Speaker 2: So on one side of the Rafa Crossing is the 86 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:14,320 Speaker 2: city of Rafa and on the other side is Egypt, 87 00:05:14,440 --> 00:05:16,240 Speaker 2: and both those parties have worked out a way to 88 00:05:16,279 --> 00:05:19,080 Speaker 2: get some aid into the Gaza Strip. Now, the reason 89 00:05:19,080 --> 00:05:22,520 Speaker 2: why it's significant to Israel is it's really the only 90 00:05:22,600 --> 00:05:25,560 Speaker 2: area in the Gaza Strip today that is still controlled 91 00:05:25,640 --> 00:05:29,320 Speaker 2: by Hamas forces. So according to the IDF, Rafa is 92 00:05:29,320 --> 00:05:32,800 Speaker 2: where Hummas are launching attacks towards Israeli soldiers from and 93 00:05:32,839 --> 00:05:35,360 Speaker 2: where there are still a network of tunnels that could 94 00:05:35,400 --> 00:05:37,800 Speaker 2: potentially be used to hold some of the one hundred 95 00:05:37,839 --> 00:05:38,960 Speaker 2: and thirty three hostages. 96 00:05:39,560 --> 00:05:41,839 Speaker 1: And we've been hearing that there could be a potential 97 00:05:41,839 --> 00:05:45,039 Speaker 1: invasion by Israel into Ruffa for some time now, right. 98 00:05:45,080 --> 00:05:47,440 Speaker 1: I remember a few months ago we did a podcast 99 00:05:47,760 --> 00:05:51,440 Speaker 1: when the Australian government warned Israel against invading Rauffa. 100 00:05:51,640 --> 00:05:55,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, and it's kind of been this looming idea surrounding 101 00:05:55,480 --> 00:05:57,960 Speaker 2: the conflict in twenty twenty four, really since the turn 102 00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:00,320 Speaker 2: of the year. So that was in February that warning 103 00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:03,520 Speaker 2: from the Australian government. Anthony Albanezi put out a statement 104 00:06:03,760 --> 00:06:07,080 Speaker 2: warning against the invasion, saying it would be catastrophic, and 105 00:06:07,120 --> 00:06:10,520 Speaker 2: those warnings have been echoed quite widely, and earlier this year, 106 00:06:10,560 --> 00:06:14,520 Speaker 2: the UN Children's Agency UNISEF warned a ground invasion in 107 00:06:14,640 --> 00:06:18,200 Speaker 2: Raffa would bring quote catastrophe on top of catastrophe. 108 00:06:18,480 --> 00:06:21,520 Speaker 1: Okay, so just to recap where we are. Ruffa is 109 00:06:21,600 --> 00:06:25,279 Speaker 1: right now home to one point four million people, many 110 00:06:25,320 --> 00:06:28,160 Speaker 1: of whom have fled from the northern part of Gaza, 111 00:06:28,800 --> 00:06:32,880 Speaker 1: and Israel has been warned many times against invading Ruffa 112 00:06:32,920 --> 00:06:37,000 Speaker 1: from the international community, including Australia, who have said that 113 00:06:37,240 --> 00:06:42,880 Speaker 1: doing so would significantly worsen the humanitarian crisis already unfolding 114 00:06:42,960 --> 00:06:46,800 Speaker 1: in Gaza. Right However, Israel says that Ruffa is where 115 00:06:46,839 --> 00:06:51,360 Speaker 1: Harmas is partly operating from exactly, So when did the 116 00:06:51,400 --> 00:06:54,920 Speaker 1: IDF decide after all of these months of it potentially 117 00:06:54,920 --> 00:06:57,800 Speaker 1: being an option for them. When did they decide to 118 00:06:58,200 --> 00:06:59,080 Speaker 1: enter the city. 119 00:06:59,360 --> 00:07:02,160 Speaker 2: Well, it kind of happened on Monday, and that's when 120 00:07:02,360 --> 00:07:05,840 Speaker 2: senior Israeli ministers approved a plan for the country's army 121 00:07:05,920 --> 00:07:09,720 Speaker 2: to move into Raffa. So about one hundred thousand civilians 122 00:07:09,760 --> 00:07:13,080 Speaker 2: were told by the IDF. They dropped pamphlets from plains 123 00:07:13,120 --> 00:07:15,640 Speaker 2: and so there was footage of kind of paper lining 124 00:07:15,720 --> 00:07:18,520 Speaker 2: the streets of some parts of Raffa to evacuate, and 125 00:07:18,560 --> 00:07:21,040 Speaker 2: they were told to evacuate to two nearby cities in 126 00:07:21,120 --> 00:07:25,960 Speaker 2: southern Gaza, Al Mawassi and carn Uness, which I mentioned before. However, 127 00:07:26,080 --> 00:07:27,960 Speaker 2: according to the Red Cross, and this is a really 128 00:07:28,000 --> 00:07:30,920 Speaker 2: important point, there is no room for the one hundred 129 00:07:30,960 --> 00:07:33,600 Speaker 2: thousand people in the areas that they've been told to 130 00:07:33,640 --> 00:07:35,880 Speaker 2: flee to, and that's a direct quote from the Red Cross. 131 00:07:36,720 --> 00:07:40,200 Speaker 2: Then on Tuesday afternoon Australia time, the IDF confirmed it 132 00:07:40,320 --> 00:07:43,080 Speaker 2: had taken control of the Gazan side of the Raffa 133 00:07:43,120 --> 00:07:45,440 Speaker 2: border crossing. Remember I said there was a border shared 134 00:07:45,480 --> 00:07:48,640 Speaker 2: with Egypt. It said it had struck about fifty terrorist 135 00:07:48,880 --> 00:07:53,840 Speaker 2: targets in eastern Raffa and eliminated twenty terrorists. The IDF 136 00:07:53,920 --> 00:07:57,160 Speaker 2: also said it had uncovered three tunnels being used by 137 00:07:57,280 --> 00:07:58,400 Speaker 2: Humas in Rauffa. 138 00:07:58,880 --> 00:08:01,960 Speaker 1: And the United Nations has been the key body that 139 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:05,160 Speaker 1: we have relied on for information about this war. What 140 00:08:05,280 --> 00:08:07,640 Speaker 1: have they said about Israel's move into Rafa. 141 00:08:08,160 --> 00:08:10,880 Speaker 2: Well, the UN Secretary General so kind of the CEO 142 00:08:11,000 --> 00:08:14,760 Speaker 2: almost of the organization, warned Israel against broadening the operation. 143 00:08:15,040 --> 00:08:17,520 Speaker 2: He said a full scale assault on Rafa would be 144 00:08:17,560 --> 00:08:22,040 Speaker 2: a human catastrophe. Countless more civilian casualties, countless more families 145 00:08:22,080 --> 00:08:24,600 Speaker 2: forced to flee, yes, again with nowhere safe to go. 146 00:08:24,920 --> 00:08:27,760 Speaker 1: And that's an idea that keeps coming up that Israel 147 00:08:27,920 --> 00:08:30,600 Speaker 1: is asking you know, hundreds of thousands of people to move, 148 00:08:30,960 --> 00:08:33,080 Speaker 1: but a lot of you know, the Red Cross before 149 00:08:33,080 --> 00:08:35,640 Speaker 1: and the UN has said that there is nowhere safe 150 00:08:35,679 --> 00:08:37,000 Speaker 1: for these civilians to go. 151 00:08:37,240 --> 00:08:40,560 Speaker 2: And of particular significance to those organizations is the effect 152 00:08:40,679 --> 00:08:44,000 Speaker 2: that it's having on the influx of aid into Gaza, 153 00:08:44,080 --> 00:08:47,200 Speaker 2: specifically into the south of Gaza, where now a majority 154 00:08:47,200 --> 00:08:51,160 Speaker 2: of the population is. And that's relating to that Rafa crossing, 155 00:08:51,200 --> 00:08:54,640 Speaker 2: that key entry point shared with Egypt that the Israeli 156 00:08:54,640 --> 00:08:56,200 Speaker 2: Defense Force now has control over. 157 00:08:56,600 --> 00:08:59,559 Speaker 1: So we've covered how the United Nations has responded to this, 158 00:09:00,080 --> 00:09:02,840 Speaker 1: What about the political community, what have they said? 159 00:09:03,360 --> 00:09:06,240 Speaker 2: So this week Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong met with 160 00:09:06,360 --> 00:09:09,280 Speaker 2: her New Zealand counterpart to discuss a response to the 161 00:09:09,360 --> 00:09:13,240 Speaker 2: Raffa operation, and then late last night released a statement 162 00:09:13,480 --> 00:09:16,959 Speaker 2: via x She said, Australia has been clear about our 163 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:21,240 Speaker 2: objections to a major Israeli ground defensive into Ruffa, and 164 00:09:21,280 --> 00:09:25,160 Speaker 2: we have reiterated this to Israel again today. The impacts 165 00:09:25,200 --> 00:09:29,479 Speaker 2: on Palestinian civilians from an expanded military operation would be devastating. 166 00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:33,280 Speaker 2: So the Australian government's call as of right now is 167 00:09:33,400 --> 00:09:37,520 Speaker 2: for a humanitarian ceasefire to enable hostages to be released 168 00:09:37,800 --> 00:09:41,439 Speaker 2: and unimpeded aid to flow. And then if we look overseas, 169 00:09:41,679 --> 00:09:45,559 Speaker 2: the US is Israel's closest ally and US President Joe 170 00:09:45,559 --> 00:09:49,760 Speaker 2: Biden spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Nenyahu earlier this week, 171 00:09:50,000 --> 00:09:53,960 Speaker 2: so just before the operation started, and warned him against 172 00:09:54,040 --> 00:09:58,600 Speaker 2: launching an invasion into Ruffer. National Security spokesperson John Kirby 173 00:09:58,720 --> 00:10:01,760 Speaker 2: had this to say at the White House press briefing yesterday. 174 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:04,920 Speaker 2: We've made clear our views about operations in Rafa that 175 00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:08,200 Speaker 2: could potentially put more than a million innocent people at 176 00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:11,599 Speaker 2: greater risk. During his call with Prime Minister Ntnyagu, the 177 00:10:11,640 --> 00:10:13,199 Speaker 2: President again made this clear. 178 00:10:13,480 --> 00:10:16,200 Speaker 1: He also made clear that we continue to believe that 179 00:10:16,200 --> 00:10:18,640 Speaker 1: the hostage deal was the best way to avoid that 180 00:10:18,800 --> 00:10:21,760 Speaker 1: sort of an outcome while securing the release of those hostages. 181 00:10:21,760 --> 00:10:25,000 Speaker 2: And as I said, those conversations continue now. Another significant 182 00:10:25,040 --> 00:10:28,320 Speaker 2: development from the US side of things is that senior 183 00:10:28,520 --> 00:10:31,880 Speaker 2: US officials have told the Associated Press that the country 184 00:10:31,920 --> 00:10:34,840 Speaker 2: has paused a shipment of about eighteen hundred bombs it 185 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:38,800 Speaker 2: was sending to Israel over its concerns with the operations 186 00:10:38,840 --> 00:10:39,400 Speaker 2: in Rafa. 187 00:10:39,960 --> 00:10:42,600 Speaker 1: And this is all happening against the backdrop of their 188 00:10:42,640 --> 00:10:46,599 Speaker 1: being ceasefire negotiations happening right now in Egypt. 189 00:10:46,280 --> 00:10:50,640 Speaker 2: Right Yeah. And that's quite a remarkable set of circumstances 190 00:10:50,679 --> 00:10:52,840 Speaker 2: to consider that on one side of the border you 191 00:10:52,920 --> 00:10:57,680 Speaker 2: have this unfolding military situation. Just on the other side 192 00:10:57,720 --> 00:11:01,320 Speaker 2: of the border, there's a negotiating table where Egypt and 193 00:11:01,360 --> 00:11:04,360 Speaker 2: Qatar are trying to bring together a solution to this 194 00:11:04,440 --> 00:11:07,600 Speaker 2: conflict and kind of reach the ceasefire as quick as possible. 195 00:11:07,800 --> 00:11:11,800 Speaker 1: So they're acting as kind of mediators to Israel and Hamas. 196 00:11:11,480 --> 00:11:14,520 Speaker 2: To come up with a ceasefire exactly, and shortly after 197 00:11:14,760 --> 00:11:18,920 Speaker 2: Israel indicated it would enter Rafa on Monday, Harmas declared 198 00:11:18,960 --> 00:11:21,920 Speaker 2: it would agree to a variation of the latest ceasefire 199 00:11:21,960 --> 00:11:24,880 Speaker 2: deal proposed in Egypt last month. So they're rejected it 200 00:11:24,960 --> 00:11:26,920 Speaker 2: last month. They said they'd agree to it with some 201 00:11:27,040 --> 00:11:31,040 Speaker 2: variations earlier this week, but the statement from Israeli Prime 202 00:11:31,040 --> 00:11:34,920 Speaker 2: Minister Benjamin Naanya, whose office said quote the Hamas proposal 203 00:11:35,240 --> 00:11:38,920 Speaker 2: is far from meeting Israel's core demands. Israel has now 204 00:11:38,960 --> 00:11:41,679 Speaker 2: said it'll send another delegation to Egypt to go back 205 00:11:41,720 --> 00:11:44,760 Speaker 2: to the negotiating table to work towards what it describes 206 00:11:44,920 --> 00:11:47,960 Speaker 2: as an agreement on terms acceptable to Israel. 207 00:11:47,880 --> 00:11:51,680 Speaker 1: A very complicated topic that is rapidly unfolding. Thank you 208 00:11:51,720 --> 00:11:54,199 Speaker 1: so much for listening to today's episode of The Daily 209 00:11:54,200 --> 00:11:56,000 Speaker 1: oz and we hope to see you again tomorrow. 210 00:11:59,040 --> 00:12:01,360 Speaker 2: My name is Lily Mattaw and I'm a proud Arunda 211 00:12:01,559 --> 00:12:04,120 Speaker 2: Bunjelung Calkatin woman from Gadighl country. 212 00:12:04,960 --> 00:12:08,079 Speaker 1: The Daily oz acknowledges that this podcast is recorded on 213 00:12:08,120 --> 00:12:10,599 Speaker 1: the lands of the Gadighl people and pays respect to 214 00:12:10,679 --> 00:12:14,000 Speaker 1: all Aboriginal and torrest rate island and nations. We pay 215 00:12:14,040 --> 00:12:16,960 Speaker 1: our respects to the first peoples of these countries, both 216 00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:17,920 Speaker 1: past and present.