CAPE TOWN: South Africa’s government has recalled its ambassador and diplomatic mission to Israel in condemnation of the bombardment of the Gaza Strip, calling it “a genocide”.
The government also threatened action against the Israeli ambassador to South Africa over his recent remarks about the African country’s stance on the Israel-Hamas war. No further details were given about the remarks.
“The South African government has decided to withdraw all its diplomats in Tel Aviv for consultation,” said minister in the presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni.
Meanwhile, in south Lebanon, an Israeli airstrike killed four civilians — a woman and three children — raising the likelihood of a dangerous new escalation in the conflict on the Lebanon-Israel border.
Israeli troops and Hezbollah militants and their allies have been clashing for a month along the border since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
The Gazan border authority have said that Egyptians and foreigners already on the pre-approved lists will be allowed to enter Egypt after the Rafah border crossing had been closed for two days.
The only entry into Gaza not controlled by Israel had opened to foreign nationals and dependents as well as injured Gazans beginning on Wednesday.
However, humanitarian activity ceased on Saturday after an Israeli strike on an ambulance in Gaza last week, Egyptian officials said.
“Any effort to get convoys of ambulances carrying wounded to Rafah crossing must be accompanied by the International Committee of the Red Cross and UN vehicles to protect them and so they don’t get bombed as happened with the last convoy,” said the Hamas-run government media office.
The Palestinian authorities had been publishing lists of people approved for evacuation by Egyptian and Israeli authorities beginning on November 1.