South Africa Calls to End Violence in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

The South African government expressed its concerns and has called for an immediate cessation of hostilities between Israel and Palestine.

"South Africa is gravely concerned over the recent devastating escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. [...] Urgent attention must be given to resolving the final status issues such as borders, the status of Jerusalem, the release of political prisoners, and the right of return," said the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) in a statement Saturday night.

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According to the South African authorities, the region needs a "credible peace process that meets calls from a 'plethora' of United Nations (UN) resolutions.". The government recalled the importance of UN resolutions and international law.

Furthermore, the department explained that the country is taking actions in collaboration with the international community to support the peace process in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and stated that South Africa is ready to share experiences in conflict mediation.

"South Africa, working together with the international community, seeks to ensure a lasting and durable peace that produces a viable, contiguous Palestinian State, existing side-by-side in peace with Israel, within the 1967 internationally recognized borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. [...] South Africa stands ready to share its experience in mediation and conflict resolution as it has done on the continent and around the world." the statement reads.

On Saturday morning, Israel experienced an unprecedented rocket attack from the Gaza Strip. According to the Israeli army, Hamas fired over 3,000 rockets and dozens of Hamas troops infiltrated border areas in southern Israel. In response, the Israeli military deployed forces to the southern territories to regain control from Palestinian forces and began launching attacks on Hamas positions in Gaza.

At least 600 Israelis have been killed and more than 2,000 wounded, according to Israeli media reports on Sunday. They added that the fate of those captured by Hamas fighters remains unknown.

Amid the attacks, Israel approved the declaration of a "state of war," which means the commencement of significant military operations. Against this backdrop, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qasem told Sputnik that a ceasefire with Israel was no longer possible due to Israel's escalation of the conflict. He further noticed that negotiations for the release of Israeli hostages would occur only after the conclusion of the Palestinian operation called "Al-Aqsa Flood".