PM raises alarm over Israel's invasion of Rafah

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has expressed concerns about where Palestinian civilians would go after Israel invaded the last refuge in Gaza.

The government had made its position clear to Israel over the past day following the ground invasion, Mr Albanese said.

"What we have done again is to communicate to Israel our opposition for a ground invasion in Rafah because we're concerned about the civilian population there," he told reporters in Melbourne on Thursday.

"They were told to move from the northern part of Gaza. They were told to move south ... it's not clear where they are supposed to go, given the destruction that's occurred to housing in other parts of Gaza.

"So we are very concerned about that."

An offensive in Rafah would increase civilian deaths, suffering and destruction "beyond already unbearable levels", UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said.

Mr Albanese affirmed Australia's commitment to a two-state solution ahead of a United Nations General Assembly vote to include Palestine as a fully-fledged member.

However, the vote is non-binding.

It's the government's longstanding position to recognise a Palestinian state, but no timeline has been attached.

Moving ahead with recognition would benefit the path to peace, Foreign Minister Penny Wong has said.

The United States, which is also exploring recognition, vetoed a UN Security Council resolution for Palestine's accession into the organisation.

Israel launched an invasion of the Gaza Strip following an attack by Hamas, a designated terrorist organisation by Australia, that killed an estimated 1200 people and resulted in more than 250 people taken hostage.

In response, the Israeli military has killed nearly 35,000 Palestinians and injured at least 77,000 others, according to the local health ministry.

At least 1.7 million Gazans have also been displaced and many more are starving as Tel Aviv throttles aid into the occupied territory.

Humanitarian group Save the Children Australia has urged the government to officially ban all military exports to Israel, as the "notoriously secretive" nature of Australia's defence export system means its products might be used by the Israeli Defence Forces.

"Australia and many other countries have consistently called on the government of Israel not to go down this path, warning that an attack on Rafah would have catastrophic consequences, and yet Israel seems intent on unleashing this terrifying new phase of the war anyway," Save the Children Australia CEO Mat Tinkler said

"Taking fundamental transparency measures will help ensure Australia can uphold its commitments and adherence to the principles of international humanitarian law."