President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa accused Israel of war crimes and actions “tantamount to genocide” in Gaza during a virtual summit of developing-nation leaders, which also included Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Ramaphosa declared that both parties had broken international law and denounced Hamas for its attack on Israeli citizens, which started the Gaza War.
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At the opening of the gathering of BRICS leaders and high-ranking diplomats, Ramaphosa stated, “The collective punishment of Palestinian civilians through the unlawful use of force by Israel is a war crime He added, “The deliberate denial of medicine, fuel, food, and water to the residents of Gaza is tantamount to genocide.”
“In its attacks on civilians and by taking hostages, Hamas has also violated international law and must be held accountable for these actions,” Ramaphosa noted.
While not criticizing either side to the same extent as Ramaphosa, Putin and Xi struck more circumspect tones, demanding the release of civilian hostages and a cease-fire.
Leaders and representatives from Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates—all of whom are scheduled to join the bloc in January—as well as representatives from Brazil, India, and other BRICS members attended the summit.
Due to South Africa’s present role as BRICS chair, Ramaphosa presided over the “extraordinary meeting” and gave the opening comments.
According to Putin, a “humanitarian catastrophe” was taking place in Gaza. He noted that it is “shocking to watch how surgeries are performed on children without anesthesia.” Once more, he attributed the issue to what he perceived as American diplomacy gone wrong.
“All these events, in fact, are a direct consequence of the US desire to monopolize mediation functions in the Palestinian-Israeli settlement,” Once more, he attributed the issue to what he perceived as American diplomacy gone wrong.
Putin’s remarks were consistent with Russia’s cautious stance toward the Israel-Hamas conflict, which could give it a chance to strengthen its position as an international power broker. Due to its ties to both Israel and the Palestinians, Putin suggested last month that Moscow could mediate the dispute. The BRICS group, he suggested on Tuesday, might provide “a key role” in achieving a political settlement.
In addition to cautioning Israel about its response and cautioning against blockading the Gaza Strip, Putin denounced the October 7 attack by Hamas terrorists on cities in southern Israel, which sparked Israel’s offensive in Gaza, which is currently in its seventh week.
The Health Ministry in Gaza reports that over 11,000 Palestinians have been murdered, with women and minors making up the majority. Over 2,700 more are missing, with the possibility that they are buried beneath debris. Since November 11, the health sector’s collapse, according to the government, has prevented it from updating its figures.
The number of casualties from the daily strikes has increased significantly, according to Gaza health officials, and hospitals are still reporting dozens of dead at a time.
The West Bank’s Health Ministry last provided a toll of 13,300, but it ceased to provide its own count on Tuesday without providing an explanation. For that reason, as well as the fact that officials there refused to provide a detailed explanation of how they monitored deaths following November 11, the AP chose to cease publishing its tally.
There is no distinction made between combatants and civilians in the Health Ministry toll. Israel claims to have killed thousands of Hamas fighters, but it has not offered any proof to support this claim.
Leading members of the BRICS group, which has positioned itself as opposing the West’s alleged domination in international affairs, are China and Russia. However, because the five present members have different goals, it has been difficult for them to adopt unified policies or stances on many matters.
The discussion took place one day after China’s top diplomat welcomed the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, and Indonesia to Beijing as part of their tour of permanent members of the UN Security Council. It highlighted both China’s expanding geopolitical influence and its long-standing support for the Palestinian people.
With deep historical ties to both Israel and the Palestinians, India has long tread carefully between them in its quest to be recognized as a leader of the developing world.
Israel has been under heavy fire from South Africa for the Gaza War, and the country has already asked the International Criminal Court to look into any war crimes committed by Israel. South Africa has been drawing parallels between Israel’s tactics in Gaza and the West Bank and its own historical apartheid system of racial segregation for many years.
A cease-fire and the deployment of a UN force to oversee it are two more things that South Africa wants to see, according to Ramaphosa, who also demanded that the International Criminal Court “urgently” begin prosecuting people on both sides who he claimed were committing war crimes.
Legislators from South Africa overwhelmingly supported a motion on Tuesday to close the Israeli Embassy and sever diplomatic ties with Israel until it consents to a cease-fire in Gaza. Prior to the vote, Israel had brought in its envoy for discussions.
