South Africa on Tuesday condemned as “deplorable” the Israeli attack on the southern Gaza town of Rafah that killed dozens in a displaced persons camp.
The attack, which Palestinian officials said killed 45 people, prompted global outrage and an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.
“The South African government joins the international community in condemning the deplorable and barbaric attacks on innocent civilians following the shelling by Israeli forces of a tent camp housing displaced Palestinians,” the foreign ministry said.
He noted that the strike came two days after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to end its military offensive in Rafah.
The ICJ ruling was issued last week as part of a case brought by South Africa that claims Israel’s military operation in Gaza amounts to “genocide”.
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Israel rejected the ruling, insisting the court erred.
“What we are seeing today bears witness to South Africa’s claims,” the foreign ministry said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the strike a “tragic accident” but also vowed to continue the military campaign to destroy Hamas after the October 7 attack and the return of all hostages.
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The war in Gaza erupted after an October attack on Israel by Hamas that killed more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
The militants also took 252 hostages, 121 of whom remain in Gaza, including 37 the military says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory attack has killed at least 36,096 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.
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The Sunday night attack that killed dozens at the displaced persons camp targeted two senior Hamas members, the Israeli military said.
But Pretoria said it showed the issue of international arrest warrants to bring to justice those responsible for “heinous crimes” committed during the war was “growing in urgency”.
“It is the collective duty of the international community to ensure that atrocities of this nature are properly prosecuted,” the foreign ministry said.
International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan said earlier this month that he had applied for arrest warrants for top Israeli and Hamas leaders over the conflict.
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