Johannesburg: South Africa Monday November 06, 2023 recalled its ambassador and diplomatic mission to Israel condemning as “genocide” the killing of Palestinians in Israeli bombardments on Gaza Strip.
Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, a Minister in the President’s office, told a press briefing that all diplomatic staff in Tel Aviv have been asked to return to Pretoria for consultations.
“We are extremely concerned at the continued killing of children and innocent civilians in the Palestinian territories and we believe the nature of response by Israel has become one of collective punishment,” Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor told a press conference. “We felt it important that we do signal the concern of South Africa while continuing to call for a comprehensive cessation (of hostilities)”, she said.
“We are extremely concerned at the continued killing of children and innocent civilians in the Palestinian territories and we believe the nature of response by Israel has become one of collective punishment,” Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor told a press conference.
“We felt it important that we do signal the concern of South Africa while continuing to call for a comprehensive cessation (of hostilities)”, she said.
On October 14, 2023, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa while expressing solidarity with the Palestinians, said he was “deeply concerned about the atrocities that are unfolding in the Middle East”, and called upon the world leaders to stop the “genocide of Palestinians”.
Bolivia was the first country to cut all diplomatic ties with Israel condemning its carnages in Gaza. Later, Turkey, Jordan, Honduras, Colombia, Chile and Bahrain too recalled their envoy to Israel, accusing the far-right Zionist regime of committing “war crimes”.
Meanwhile, dozens of protesters gathered in front of Turkey’s Foreign Ministry where the country’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held talks.
The protesters accused the US of complicity in the deaths of Palestinian civilians in Gaza. Earlier, police dispersed a group of students who marched toward the ministry office chanting “Murderer Blinken, get out of Turkey”.
It was the second day of protests denouncing Blinken’s visit to Turkey. On Sunday, police fired tear gas and a water cannon as thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters tried to storm the US Airbase in Adana City of Turkey.
Blinken met Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan after meeting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah and participating in the meeting of Foreign Ministers of Arab countries in Jordan.
Though not much details about these meetings have been made public, sources said Turkey, Palestinian Authority and Arab countries in their meeting with Blinken called for an unconditional ceasefire in Gaza.
According to the reports, Blinken asked the Turkish government to put more pressure on Hamas for the release of the hostages. Turkey however made it clear that prisoner release should be mutual, where Hamas releases captives and Israel releases Palestinian prisoners.
The death toll in Israeli bombing on Gaza strip Monday crossed 10,000 mark.
Health officials in Gaza said 10,022 people have been killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza since October 7, including 4,104 children and 2,641 women.
The ministry added that 25,408 people have also been wounded in the relentless Israeli airstrikes targeting residential areas, schools, hospitals, refugee camps and media outlets.
UK based aid agency described the Gaza deaths as a “shocking milestone”.
“Today marks a shocking milestone in Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza as we learn that 10,000 Palestinians have now been killed,” the UK-based organisation Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) has said in a statement.
“The grim toll was a result of Israel’s indiscriminate bombardment of civilian homes, hospitals, refugee camps, and schools”, it added.
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