The US and Australia’s top diplomats and defence officials have issued a statement underscoring the “urgent need to de-escalate tensions” in the Middle East, and calling for the release of captives held by Hamas as well as an “immediate and prolonged ceasefire in Gaza”.

The statement – by the US’s Blinken, Austin, and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Defence Minister Richard Marles – said “terrorism, the large-scale loss of civilian lives, and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza are all unacceptable”.

It reiterated Washington and Canberra’s commitment to a sovereign, viable and independent Palestinian state, and called for a diplomatic solution to the escalating conflict along the Israel-Lebanon border.