Julian Assange’s father urges freedom for Palestinians after Australians in the Middle East were warned about a wider conflict

Julian Assange’s father headlined a rally in support of the Palestinians. Australians in Lebanon are being advised to return home immediately amid concerns the conflict between Hamas and Israel could spread to the entire Middle East.

“So many famous faces fought successfully for Julian’s freedom… The next job may be a little harder,” John Shipton told a passionate crowd on the steps of Victoria’s Parliament House in Melbourne on Saturday afternoon.

The banner behind Mr. Shitpton read: “Stop the genocide.”

In June, Assange was allowed to return to Australia as a free man after he fought extradition to the US over his publication of state secrets through Wikileaks.

His father’s attendance at the protest follows Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s call on Wednesday night for Australians in Lebanon to leave while they still can.

There are concerns that security in the country could deteriorate rapidly, ‘with little or no warning’, can be found on the Smart Traveller website.

The US military confirmed on Friday that it will send additional fighter jets and naval vessels to the Middle East as Washington seeks to bolster defenses following renewed threats from Iran and its allies Hamas and Hezbollah.

Australians were first told they could not travel to Lebanon in October, weeks after Hamas attacked Israel.

Mr Shipton said the fight for the Palestinians under siege would mirror the fight to free his son

Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by the government, launched an attack on October 7 that killed 1,200 people and took more than 200 hostage, Israeli authorities said.

Israel subsequently launched a bombing campaign and ground offensive in Gaza, killing nearly 40,000 Palestinians, the local Health Ministry said.

Concerns that the conflict could spread further into the Middle East have grown since Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Tehran earlier this week and Hezbollah leader Fouad Shukur was killed in Beirut earlier this week.

Iran threatened to respond after the attack on its territory, prompting the United States to keep an aircraft carrier in the region and deploy a squadron of fighter jets to the Middle East.

US President Joe Biden has said he is “very concerned” that violence could escalate.

Iran and Hamas accuse Israel of Haniyeh’s killing, but Israel has not claimed responsibility.

On Friday, the family of an Australian aid worker killed in an Israeli airstrike demanded a criminal investigation after a government report blamed serious errors on the attack and concluded it was “not deliberately directed.”

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange kisses his wife Stella Assange upon arrival in Canberra, Australia, on June 26, 2024

Assange raised a fist in the air as he waved to the crowd at Canberra airport

The Israel Defense Forces carried out attacks in April that killed Australian Zomi Frankcom and six other World Central Kitchen workers as they delivered food in Gaza.

The report by former Australian Defence Force Chief Mark Binskin found that Israel had made serious mistakes, compounded by confirmation bias, that led to Israel’s attack.

A family spokesman urged further