The Government must immediately help evacuate New Zealanders and Lebanese whanau caught up in the current conflict unfolding across south Lebanon.

“The crisis in Lebanon is deepening by the day. We must act and evacuate our Lebanese whanau out of harm’s way,” says the Green Party Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Teanau Tuiono.

“Aotearoa is home to a strong Lebanese community. We owe it to them to offer their families caught up in the unfolding crisis a lifeline with evacuation and a humanitarian visa pathway.

“Yesterday, almost 500 people were killed in south Lebanon where last week civilians were killed and maimed by indiscriminate terror attacks through tech devices. Hundreds of thousands of people in this region have been harmed by bombing that is destroying homes and targeting civilian populations.

“The Government has told New Zealanders to leave Lebanon, the least it could do is help before things escalate to a point where we are unable to assist.

“Israel’s actions in Lebanon and Gaza must be met with consequences. Israel is actively fanning the flames of war. Our Government must issue Israel with sanctions.

“This Government has been incredibly slow to respond to the crisis in Gaza, it cannot afford to make the same mistake twice and allow the window for evacuations to close.

“It’s unacceptable to simply look on while innocent civilians lose their lives in this escalating conflict. Aotearoa must play its part in the international community in promoting peace and protecting human rights,” says Teanau Tuiono.

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