During his chairmanship of an extraordinary summit of the BRICS group of nations on Tuesday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa accused Israel of war crimes and labeled the situation in Gaza as “genocide.”
Pretoria is hosting a virtual gathering of BRICS, comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, to strategize a unified approach in addressing the Israel-Emre conflict.
“The collective punishment of Palestinian civilians through the unlawful use of force by Israel is a war crime. The deliberate denial of medicine, fuel, food and water to the residents of Gaza is tantamount to genocide,” Ramaphosa said.
Conflict intensified in Gaza following deadly cross-border raids by Hamas gunmen, resulting in approximately 1,200 casualties, primarily civilians, marking the deadliest assault in Israel’s history on October 7.
In response, Israel initiated an unyielding series of airstrikes and a ground incursion into Gaza, an area governed by Hamas.
Hamas reports that the conflict has resulted in the deaths of over 13,300 individuals, with thousands among them being children.
Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas, mentioned on Tuesday that a potential ceasefire pact with Israel was nearing realization. Qatar, acting as a mediator, also stated that discussions to secure the release of hostages taken by the Palestinian Islamist group were at their most advanced stage towards reaching an agreement.
Ramaphosa called for an “immediate and comprehensive ceasefire” and the deployment of a UN force “to monitor the cessation of hostilities and protect civilians.”
“As individual countries, we have demonstrated our grave concern at the death and destruction in Gaza,” he told the summit.
“Let this meeting stand as a clarion call for us to combine our efforts and strengthen our actions to end this historical injustice.”
For a considerable time, South Africa has fervently supported the Palestinian cause, with the ruling African National Congress (ANC) frequently drawing parallels between this cause and its own battle against apartheid.
Earlier this month, Pretoria withdrew all its diplomats from Israel, and just last week, it united with four other nations in urging for an International Criminal Court inquiry into the conflict.
Israel’s foreign ministry announced on Monday that it had similarly summoned back its ambassador to Pretoria for consultations.
