South Africa’s Ramaphosa accuses Israel of war crimes and ‘genocide’ in Gaza at Brics summit
- South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa said, that the deliberate denial of medicine, fuel, food and water to the residents of Gaza is tantamount to genocide
- South Africa has long been a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause, with the ruling ANC party often linking it to its own struggle against apartheid
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa accused Israel of war crimes and “genocide” in Gaza, as he chaired an extraordinary summit of the Brics group of nations on Tuesday.
Pretoria is hosting a virtual meeting of Brics – a group of major emerging economies that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – aimed at drawing up a common response to the Israel-Gaza 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.
Fighting has raged in Gaza after Hamas gunmen killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, during cross-border raids on October 7 – the deadliest attack in Israel’s history.
In retaliation, Israel launched a relentless bombing campaign and ground offensive in Gaza, which is ruled by Hamas.
According to Hamas, the war has killed more than 13,300 people, thousands of them children.
On Tuesday, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said a truce agreement with Israel was in sight, with mediator Qatar adding negotiations to free hostages seized by the Palestinian Islamist group were at their “closest point” to a deal.