Pretoria – South Africa has condemned the massacre of more than 100 Palestinians on Thursday, (15 May 2025), and the denial of humanitarian aid to Gaza, and the destruction of hospitals and clinics.
In a statement on Saturday, (17 May 2025), Pretoria condemned “the killing of 143 Gazans by the Israel Defence Force on 15 May 2025, as Palestinians commemorated the 77th Anniversary of Nakba Day, which marks the beginning of the displacement of Palestinians in 1948”.
The statement released by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation reiterated South Africa’s assertion during its recent presentations at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
During the hearings regarding the Obligations of Israel concerning the Presence and Activities of the United Nations, Other International Organisations and Third States in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, South Africa said Gaza has become a “killing field”.
In its presentation, South Africa also warned of the human-made famine in Gaza due to the deliberate blockade of humanitarian aid by the Israeli government.
“As famine conditions worsen in Gaza, and the ceasefire efforts remain stalled, Israel’s complete blockade of aid into Gaza and its restrictions on humanitarian access contravene Israel’s obligations under international humanitarian law and the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide,” the statement said.
“Israel’s persistent grave violations are part of a broader strategy to remove Palestinians from their land by subjecting them to starvation and making the Gaza Strip uninhabitable.
“South Africa reiterates its call for an immediate ceasefire and for the resumption of a political process to end the occupation.
“The international community must act decisively to hold Israel accountable for violations of international law, pertinently international humanitarian and human rights law.”
The statement added: “This includes the implementation of effective measures to bring an end to the occupation, the ongoing policies and practices of collective punishment, and the illegal blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip.
“Furthermore, there must be an immediate halt to the practices of arbitrary and administrative detention, as well as to acts of torture and ill-treatment of Palestinian detainees, particularly children.”
Pretoria said these actions were in clear violation of international humanitarian law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention, and international human rights norms/standards as enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
“It is imperative that all Palestinian detainees held without due process be released, and that all victims, especially children, be provided with adequate compensation and rehabilitation, in accordance with international law and justice,” the statement said.
“The credibility of the international order depends on the consistent application of international law and accountability for all violations, regardless of the perpetrator.”
Head of UNICEF, Catherine Russell, has said that the world should be shocked by the killing of 45 children in Israeli airstrikes in just two days, but it has been met with indifference.
Russell has also noted that more than one million children in Gaza are at risk of starvation and are being deprived of food, water, and medicine.
Meanwhile, reports quoted the Israeli military as saying on Saturday that it had launched “extensive strikes” as part of a fresh offensive in Gaza, after rescuers reported 100 people killed in the besieged Palestinian territory.
The army said on Telegram it had begun the “initial stages” of the offensive, known as Operation Gideon’s Chariots.
The operation was part of “the expansion of the battle in the Gaza Strip, to achieve all the war’s objectives, including the release of the abducted and the defeat of Hamas”, it said in a post in Arabic.
