CANBERRA, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Sunday that Israel is "clearly" breaching international law by withholding aid from civilians in Gaza.

Albanese said during an appearance on Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) television that the deaths and suffering of civilians in Gaza is "completely" unacceptable and indefensible.

"Quite clearly it is a breach of international law to stop food being delivered, which was a decision that Israel made in March," Albanese said. "It's a breach of decent humanity and of morality and everyone can see that."

In a statement released on Friday, Albanese said that the humanitarian situation in Gaza has "gone beyond the world's worst fears," while the "position of the Australian government is clear: every innocent life matters. Every Israeli. Every Palestinian. This conflict has stolen far too many innocent lives. Tens of thousands of civilians are dead, children are starving."

The Friday statement read that "Gaza is in the grip of a humanitarian catastrophe. Israel's denial of aid and the killing of civilians, including children, seeking access to water and food cannot be defended or ignored."

Albanese called on "Israel to comply immediately with its obligations under international law. This includes allowing the United Nations and NGOs to carry out their lifesaving work safely and without hindrance. Any proposals for the permanent forced displacement of the Palestinian population must be abandoned." ■