CAPE TOWN, March 5, 2025 (WAFA) – South Africa Wednesday condemned Israel’s move to block humanitarian aid from entering the Gaza Strip after the end of the first phase of the ceasefire deal, according to South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation.
“South Africa strongly condemns the refusal of Israel to allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and its closure of border crossings at a time when the people of Gaza are experiencing immeasurable suffering and urgently need food, shelter and medical supplies,” the Department said in a media statement.
“Preventing food from entering Gaza is a continuation of Israel’s use of starvation as a weapon of war as part of the ongoing campaign of what the ICJ ruled to be plausible genocide against the Palestinian people,” it added.
It stressed that “halting the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip is a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement, international humanitarian law, and the Fourth Geneva Convention” and called on “the international community to hold Israel accountable and ensure the safe, continuous, and unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid to all areas of the Gaza Strip.”
South Africa also condemned Israel’s ongoing military aggression in the West Bank, slamming it as “a dangerous escalation, which further threatens the Palestinian quest for self-determination and statehood.”
“The forced displacement of 40,000 Palestinians from Jenin, Tulkarem, Nour Shams and elsewhere threatens to erase Palestinian refugee camps, and the right of return. The concurrent ban on the UN Relief and Works Agency’s (UNRWA) activities in these areas constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and strips displaced Palestinians of essential support and international oversight,” it explained.
It signaled its support to the Guarantors’ “continued efforts to address the reported violations of the ceasefire agreement” and called on the international community to “act with urgency and decisive action to address the continued systematic violation of international law and international humanitarian and human rights’ law.”
South Africa added that it welcomed “the outcomes of the Arab League Emergency Summit held on March 4th, that supports a settlement on Gaza that is led by, and inclusive of, Palestinians, and that expressly rejects the ethnic cleansing and forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza. South Africa supports the Arab League’s call for a UN international peacekeeping force in the West Bank and Gaza to ensure security and stability.”
K.F.
