Australia stands by Israel in wake of Hamas attack

In a speech to parliament, Anthony Albanese said Australians had been shocked by the scale of the attacks earlier this month.

"This was not just an attack on Israel, this was an attack on Jewish people. Hamas is an enemy not just of Israel, Hamas is an enemy of all peace-loving Palestinian people who are left to pay a devastating price for this terrorism," the prime minister told parliament on Monday

"We have learned of acts of violation and humiliation so grotesque they should be beyond imagination but have been made reality by Hamas."

Mr Albanese reiterated comments that Israel had the right to defend itself following the attacks.

He also said anti-Semitic comments following the attacks, as well as Islamophobia, had no place in the country.

"The awful anti-Semitism chanted by some of the protesters at the Sydney Opera House is beyond offensive, it is a betrayal of our Australian values," Mr Albanese said.

A motion moved by the prime minister in parliament condemned the attacks, along with acknowledging the loss of life on both sides of the conflict, as well as supporting "justice and freedom for Israelis and Palestinians".

Parliament also held a moment's silence for victims of the conflict.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said the attack by Hamas was an act of "sheer barbarity".

"No longer can the apologists of this death cult claim they have a just and noble cause. What happened nine days ago was the embodiment of evil," he told parliament.

"There must be no restraint shown to these who have shown no restraint themselves."

Mr Dutton also urged Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil to use her ministerial powers to deport people engaging in anti-Semitic behaviour.

"The rally at the Sydney Opera House escalated that anti-Semitism, we have to recognise that, because the impact it has had on the Jewish community here in Australia will take a lot to undo."

Former prime minister Scott Morrison said the attacks were rightly identified as terrorism and urged fellow MPs not to forget the incident.

"As we stand in this place, appalled, aggrieved, our hearts breaking, we should not have been surprised at this barbarous violence from (Hamas)," he said.

"They should never have been given the leave pass of legitimacy that they experienced for so long from the international community. They should have always been condemned and may they forever be condemned."

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the attack by Hamas was horrific and unjustified.

"The attack by Hamas was shocking in its brutality and its scale," she told the Senate.

"I want to again express my deepest sympathies to those impacted by this heinous act - we are shocked, we are horrified and we grieve with you and we affirm our solidarity with you."

The foreign minister said the government continued to push for a humanitarian corridor out of Gaza and called on Israel to act within international humanitarian law while affirming its right to self-defence and to respond to the attack.

"These calls are about protecting innocent life but they are also about ... containing this conflict," she said.

"Containing this conflict matters, if conflict were to spill over across the region, risks to Israel's security would be compounded."

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham said the attacks were amongst the "worst examples of terrorism in the modern age".

Australian Associated Press