Queensland Police say it may be several days before they can declare the final death toll from an air strike by the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) on The Bug’s Australian of the Year (AOTY) presentation held last night at the Brisbane Convention and Entertainment Centre at South Bank.

A police spokesperson said “unknown thousands” of people may have lost their lives in the attack which flattened the convention centre and about a dozen commercial and residential blocks in and around the popular South Bank precinct.

The attack came just minutes after chief judge, The Bug’s finance and investment advice columnist Morrie Bezzle, announced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the winner of the Australian of the Year Award for 2024.

Mr Bezzle, (below) who was hosting the awards ceremony remotely from the Arthur Gorrie Remand Centre at Wacol near Ipswich, escaped injury.

“I had just opened the envelope and revealed Bibi as the Australian of the Year for 2024 when Australian Federal Police agents, enforcing an International Criminal Court anti-genocide order, arrested him,” Mr Bezzle recalled.

“He was taken to the on-site police station at the convention centre and after processing and handcuffing was led to a police van with his trophy. (main picture)

“It was about then that even I could hear the bombs dropping on South Bank 20 kms away from my own holding cell.

“Unfortunately it now appears that those initial explosions came from an attack by IDF planes on the nearby Queensland Children’s Hospital – a bit of a mistake on the pilots’ part as they were trying to get a bead on the convention centre. An easy blue to make, I guess.”

Mr Bezzle said before the AFP could leave the police station with Mr Netanyahu, IDF planes began their attacks and Israeli assault troops launched a ground attack, freeing him while shooting dead an estimated dozen AFP agents and several more dozen innocent bystanders.

The IDF carpet bombing continued for at least 30 minutes while Mr Netanyahu was spirited away. He is believed to be on an IDF jet heading back to Tel Aviv.

In addition to the packed grand ballroom hosting The Bug’s AOTY Award, the destroyed BCEC was last night also hosting several private functions attended by several thousand people who remain missing in the rubble.

Mr Bezzle defended the choice of Mr Netanyahu as the award winner.

“Me and the other judges thought Bibi a worthy winner, although there was some who doubted he qualified, being an Israeli citizen,” Mr Bezzle said.

“I guess we’ll need to review the rules. Or at least the new judging panel will need to do that since all the current judges are presumed killed.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he would respond firmly and swiftly to the air strike.

“I am going to immediately ask Foreign Minister, Senator Penny Wong, to summon the Israeli ambassador to Australia and ask for an explanation,” Mr Albanese said.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton criticised Mr Albanese’s response as “weak”.

“Despite the likely death toll, Israel has the right to defend itself even on Australian soil,” Mr Dutton said.

“This was a completely proportionate response to the arrest of the Israeli Prime Minister,” he said. “Any other interpretation is just anti-Semitic.”

An IDF spokesperson took exception to Mr Bezzle’s remarks regarding the earlier missile strike on the Queensland Children’s Hospital.

“It was not a mistake by our brave IDF pilots,” the spokesperson said. “It was just force of habit.”

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