CANBERRA - Australia's deputy prime minister has described calls for the government to deny visas for all Palestinians fleeing war-torn Gaza as a disgrace.

Richard Marles, deputy prime minister and minister for defense, said on Friday that opposition leader Peter Dutton's push for a Gaza visa ban could increase tensions in Australia.

Dutton on Wednesday called for the government to reject visas for all Palestinians fleeing Gaza, warning of a threat to national security.

READ MORE: Israel orders more Gaza evacuations after school shelter attack kills scores

His comments have been condemned as divisive and discriminatory by the governing Labor Party, the Greens, and Islamic groups and as racist by independent Member of Parliament Zali Steggall.

Marles said on Friday that Dutton's comments could have real-world consequences and that security checks for all migrants coming to Australia from Gaza remain the same as when Dutton was responsible for immigration as the minister for home affairs between 2017 and 2021.

READ MORE: Regional countries slam Israel's targeting of displaced Palestinians in Gaza

"To be frank, I think what we've seen in the Parliament over the last 48 hours has been a disgrace from the leader of the opposition," Marles told Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio.

"Those of us who are engaged in public discourse, the words that we use, the language that we engage in, does have a real-world effect."

Earlier in August, Director-General of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Mike Burgess warned politicians to be careful not to inflame tensions after the official terror alert level was raised from "possible" to "probable".

READ MORE: Record number of Palestinians displaced to southern Gaza city

At the same time, Burgess said that Palestinians who have expressed rhetorical support for Hamas, a listed terror organization in Australia, would not necessarily be blocked from entering the country.

Data released by the Department of Home Affairs on Wednesday revealed that the government has granted 2,922 visas to Palestinians since the Oct 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel and rejected 7,111 applications.

In the same period, 8,746 visas have been granted to Israeli citizens and 235 applications rejected.