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TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to SBS News in Easy English. I'm Greg Dyett.
The United States has backed Israeli claims that Hamas is using hospitals in Gaza City for its military operations.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby says the U-S has unspecified intelligence that shows Hamas and other Palestinian militants are using tunnels underneath the hospitals to move weapons and hide hostages.
"I can confirm for you that we have information that Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad used some hospitals in the Gaza Strip, including al-Shifa and tunnels underneath them to conceal and to support their military operations and to hold hostages."
Denying the claims, the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry says it has invited international organisations to investigate the facility.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton says he has sent a letter to the Prime Minister asking him to convene a national cabinet in order to address the rise of antisemitism within the Australian community.
The Opposition leader says he's worried about the potential for a major incident in Australia.
"Because I fear that there will be a significant act within our country that will cause harm to people, in the Jewish community or in the community more broadly, at a time when temperatures are rising and the Prime Minister should be showing strong leadership."
Authorities are monitoring the whereabouts of criminals, including three murderers and a number of sex offenders, released into the community following a High Court decision.
Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil has told Channel Seven the federal government's main focus is in managing the impact of the court's decision.
"We are releasing people under the strictest possible visa conditions. So this includes things like more or less constant update to authorities about the location of people in some instances in person daily reporting to authorities. It includes being able to get permission to work in certain types of industries and includes us continuously monitoring things like social media and email addresses and phone numbers that are like."
Liberal Senator Jane Hume has criticised the Home Affairs Minister's handling of the situation.
She told Channel Seven that while the government knew this decision was coming, they failed to prepare for it.
"I think that Clare and potentially her immigration minister who had a lacklustre performance in question time yesterday have taken their eye off the ball because they knew that a high court decision was coming and yet there is no legislative or regulatory response ready to go."
Bunnings is set to stop selling engineered stone as pressure mounts for a national ban on the silicosis-causing material.
Unions have been campaigning for the chain, owned by retail and industrial conglomerate Wesfarmers, to pull kitchen bench tops from its product line-up to protect workers from the deadly condition.
The household hardware and garden giant confirmed it would stop selling the products from December 31.
I'm Greg Dyett and that's SBS News in Easy English.
