The South African government announced on Monday its decision to recall all of its diplomats from Israel as a symbolic expression of its concern regarding the situation in Gaza.
During a press briefing, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, a minister in the president’s office, disclosed that all diplomatic personnel in Tel Aviv would be summoned back to Pretoria for consultations, with no additional information provided.
“We are… extremely concerned at the continued killing of children and innocent civilians in the Palestinian territories and we believe the nature of response by Israel has become one of collective punishment,” Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor told a later press conference.
“We felt it important that we do signal the concern of South Africa while continuing to call for a comprehensive cessation (of hostilities)”.
Fighting in the Gaza Strip has persisted for approximately one month following an unprecedented attack by Hamas militants who crossed the border from the territory into Israel on October 7th.
Since the attack, over 1,400 lives have been lost in Israel, with the majority being civilians. During the incident, Hamas took more than 240 people hostage.
In response, Israel has launched extensive airstrikes on Gaza and deployed ground troops. The health ministry in the Hamas-controlled Palestinian territory reports that more than 9,700 people have been killed, with the majority being civilians.
Pretoria has consistently voiced its strong support for the Palestinian cause, with the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party frequently drawing parallels between it and their historic fight against apartheid.
Pandor stated that the recall of diplomats is a standard procedure, and the envoys will provide a comprehensive briefing on the situation to the government. The government will subsequently determine if it can offer assistance or if the sustainability of the ongoing relationship is feasible.