The Greens staged their second protest in Parliament for the week demanding the Albanese government call for a ceasefire in Gaza, as the humanitarian crisis there worsens.
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The party's foreign affairs spokesperson Jordan Steele-John moved a motion immediately after question time on Thursday calling for a ceasefire, before launching into an impassioned speech about the rising death toll in Gaza.
"Every second that passes is ending more and more innocent lives. The hunger of the people of Gaza deepens. The thirst becomes more profound. More refugee camps are turned to rubble. More medical facilities are destroyed," he said.
"The Australian government cannot take a moment longer to support a ceasefire. This motion gives them the opportunity to do so."
Senator Steele-John said that more than 10,000 people have reportedly been killed in the Palestinian territory, many of them children.
"Last week one child died in Gaza every 15 minutes. This week one child dies every 10. One child is injured in Gaza every five minutes. Twice as many Palestinian children have been killed in Gaza over the past month than the total number of Palestinian children killed in the West Bank of Gaza since 1967," he said.
"Palestinians are no longer talking about if they die. They are talking about when they will die."
Senator Steele-John ended the speech by leading his fellow Greens colleagues in chanting and holding up signs saying "ceasefire now", much to the disapproval of Senate Deputy President, Andrew McLachlan.
"You know that's out of order ... put those props away," Senator McLachlan said with a sigh.
But the minor party's move failed to earn the support of the rest of the chamber, who voted down the motion.
Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong, in her first day back in the Senate this week following diplomatic meetings, reiterated the government's position of calling for humanitarian pauses to allow aid to reach Gaza.
"It is right to say there is a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. It is right to say, as I have said, that the loss of life, loss of innocent life, of women and children and civilians is devastating," she said.
Senator Wong accused the Greens of trying to make a "political point", adding that "people of Gaza cannot wait for the parties of this conflict to agree to a ceasefire".
"So we are joining the international community including the G7 in calling for pauses in hostilities, because we understand that food, water, fuel medicine and other essential assistance must be delivered into Gaza," the Labor senator said.
"... And I make this point to Israel: Israel is a democratic nation state, like Australia, pledged to the rule of law. And the standards we democracies seek and accept are high. So when Israel's friends, including Australia, urge Israel to exercise restraint and protect civilians lives, it is critical that Israel listens."
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The Albanese government has come under increasing pressure over its middle-road approach to the Gaza conflict. The Greens on Monday left the Senate in protest over Labor's reluctance to call for a ceasefire.
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Simon Birmingham, on Thursday slammed the Greens' actions, arguing that the situation in Israel and Gaza required "a far more sombre and considered response than the childish stunts or university tactics that we see from the Australian Greens".
"The walkouts of this chamber, the waving around of props, the pathetic games that are played at the other end of the chamber on this issue do not reflect in any way ... the seriousness of the circumstance of the issues that are being dealt with by countries and governments right around the world to try to ensure a situation where terrorism is not allowed to prevail but where innocent lives can ultimately be protected," he said.
Senator Birmingham argued that a ceasefire would allow Hamas to regroup and risked further terrorist attacks against Israel.
"The Greens fool themselves if they think that a simple ceasefire today would stop more innocent lives being lost in the future," he said.