Australia on Thursday passed anti-hate crime laws under which a Nazi salute in public, among other similar offences, will be punishable by a mandatory jail sentence. The laws were passed in an effort to tackle a wave of high-profile antisemitic attacks targeting Jews in Australia in the wake of Israel's war on Gaza.

Australia has passed tough anti-hate-crime laws, including mandatory jail time for giving a Nazi salute in public, in a bid to tackle a recent surge in anti-Semitism.

Hate symbols and terror offences will be punishable with mandatory jail terms ranging from one to six years in Australia, after lawmakers passed a series of amendments to hate crime laws on Thursday.