South Africa is calling for the establishment of a just and lasting peace that protects and promotes the human rights of both Palestinians and Israelis.\u00a0This statement follows confirmation from mediators that a ceasefire agreement has been reached between Hamas and Israel after 15 months of conflict.<\/p>\n
\u201cSouth Africa welcomes the ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and Hamas after 15 months of Israel\u2019s genocidal onslaught on Gaza after Hamas and other armed groups launched an attack on Israel,\u201d the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) said on Wednesday evening.<\/p>\n
According to\u00a0Al Jazeera<\/em>, the truce will take effect on Sunday, 19 January 2025, if approved. According to the news channel, Israel\u2019s war in Gaza has resulted in the deaths of at least 46 707 Palestinians and 110 265 wounded since 7 October 2023.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, at least 1 139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks on that day, and more than 200 people were taken captive. The department believes that the ceasefire agreement is a crucial first step toward ending the severe humanitarian crisis faced by the 2.3 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has indicated that the situation may be plausibly genocidal.<\/p>\n \u201cThe ceasefire must lay the basis for a just peace, which should include the establishment of a contiguous, independent, and viable Palestinian State. Palestinian sovereignty and territorial integrity must be upheld.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is imperative that no land is annexed in either Gaza or the West Bank following the ceasefire, and that illegal settlement expansion is halted.\u201d<\/p>\n In line with the ICJ’s successive rulings, DIRCO firmly believes that the occupying power must follow the provisional measures recommended by the ICJ. \u201cInternational law and humanitarian law must be respected and upheld. Immediate and massive humanitarian aid is urgently needed to provide relief to civilians in Gaza.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, South Africa said all obstacles to delivering humanitarian aid must be lifted immediately and unconditionally, allowing civilians unrestricted access to essential food, water, shelter, and healthcare. Outgoing United States President Joe Biden announced yesterday that after many months of intensive diplomacy by his country, along with Egypt and Qatar, Israel and Hamas have reached a ceasefire and hostage deal.<\/p>\n \u201cMy diplomacy never ceased in their efforts to get this done \u2013 I will speak more about this soon. For now, I am thrilled that those who have been held hostage are being reunited with their families,\u201d President Biden said in a statement. \u2013\u00a0SAnews.gov.za<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" South Africa is calling for the establishment of a just and lasting peace that protects<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1055,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1054","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-current"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t