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Tag: Israel-Hamas conflict

  • South Africa to host BRICS Summit to discuss Israel- Palestine crisis

    South Africa to host BRICS Summit to discuss Israel- Palestine crisis

    South Africa will on Tuesday host a virtual summit of the BRICS group of nations, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, to discuss the Israel-Hamas war, Pretoria and Moscow said Monday.

    The BRICS is a group of major emerging economies seeking to reshape the US and Western-led global order, the member countries are Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa

    Tuesday’s “Extraordinary Joint Meeting on the Middle East Situation in Gaza” will be hosted by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the hope of drawing up a common response to the more than six-week conflict.

    Leaders from Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates — who are all due to join the BRICS group in January 2024 — will attend the meeting.

    UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will also participate, the South African presidency said in a statement.

    It added that all five BRICS heads of state will join the virtual summit, after which a joint statement with particular reference to Gaza is expected.

    Fighting is raging in Gaza after a shock Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, with around 240 people taken hostage, according to Israeli officials.

    In Gaza, around 13,300 people, more than 5,500 of them children, have been killed in the retaliatory air and ground offensive, officials in the Hamas-run territory have said.

    South Africa has long been a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause, with the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party often linking it to its own struggle against apartheid.

    The ANC said last Thursday that it would support a parliamentary motion to suspend diplomatic relations with Israel until it agrees to a ceasefire in Gaza, decrying the “genocidal actions of the Israeli regime”.

    On Friday, South Africa joined four other nations in calling for an International Criminal Court investigation into the Israel-Hamas war.

     

  • Russia says Israel nuclear remark raises ‘huge number of questions’

    Russia says Israel nuclear remark raises ‘huge number of questions’

    Russia’s foreign ministry on Tuesday said a remark by an Israeli junior minister who appeared to express openness to the idea of Israel carrying out a nuclear strike on Gaza had raised a huge number of questions.

    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday suspended Heritage Minister Amihay Eliyahu, from a far-right party in the coalition government, from cabinet meetings “until further notice”.

    Asked in a radio interview about a hypothetical nuclear option, Eliyahu had replied: “That’s one way.”

    Maria Zakharova, Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman, was quoted as saying by state RIA news agency.”this has raised a huge number of questions.”

    Zakharova said the main issue was that Israel appeared to have admitted that it had nuclear weapons.

    Israel does not publicly acknowledge it has nuclear weapons though the Federation of American Scientists estimates Israel has about 90 nuclear warheads.

    “Question number one, it turns out that we are hearing official statements about the presence of nuclear weapons?”

    “If so, then where are the International Atomic Energy Agency and international nuclear inspectors?” she said.

    Eliyahu remark drew condemnation from around the Arab world, scandalised mainstream Israeli broadcasters, was deemed “objectionable” by a U.S. official, and Iran called for a swift international response.

    “The UN Security Council and the International Atomic Energy Agency must take immediate and uninterrupted action to disarm this barbaric and apartheid regime. Tomorrow is late,” Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said on platform X on Monday.

  • Russia’s Lavrov optimistic of Israel-Palestine negotiations

    Russia’s Lavrov optimistic of Israel-Palestine negotiations

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed hope that Israel and Palestine will start negotiations and take into account the UN Security Council’s decisions.

    “I hope everyone (Israel and Palestine) will come to reason and join the negotiating table,” the foreign minister said in an interview for a TV show at the Rossiya-1 broadcaster aired on Friday.

    The minister added that it will be necessary for authorities of Israel and Palestine “to look on the map and coordinate all their actions with the UN Security Council’s decision and take into account the realities on the ground after 1967.”

    On Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said it was working on the evacuation of Russian citizens from the conflict zone.

    The ministry also said that more than 1,000 people had applied for help, including the citizens of former Soviet countries and their family members.

    Russia maintains “active contacts with the key regional actors in order to open humanitarian corridors, essential for evacuation and delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexey Zaitsev said.

    The work on defining the Russian citizens who want to leave the conflict zone is being conducted as not everyone wants to leave or tries to approach the Russian diplomatic services, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said later on Friday.

  • Israel-Palestine: UN Chief reiterates call for humanitarian ceasefire

    Israel-Palestine: UN Chief reiterates call for humanitarian ceasefire

    The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has reiterated the call for immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the war ongoing between Israel and militant group Hamas.

    Guterres made the call in his address at the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation summit that held between 18 and Oct.19, in Beijing.

    The summit with the theme: “High-quality Belt and Road cooperation: together for common development and prosperity,” marked the tenth anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)

    The UN chief said there is the need to give space among warring forces to ease suffering of the people.

    According to him, to Hamas there is the need for immediate and unconditional release of hostages, and to Israel, there is the need to immediately allow unrestricted access of humanitarian aid to respond to the most basic needs of the people of Gaza.

    “The overwhelming majority of whom are women and children.” he said.

    The UN chief, therefore, said he is aware of the grievances of the Palestinians, adding that brutal attacks against civilians could not be justified.

    He also condemned the attacks on Al Ahli hospital in Gaza October 17 that killed hundreds of people.

    “I am fully aware of the deep grievances of the Palestinian people after 56 years of occupation.

    “As serious as these grievances are they cannot justify the acts of terror against civilians committed by Hamas on Oct. 7, that I immediately condemned.

    “I call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire to provide sufficient time and space to help realize my two appeals and to ease the epic human suffering we are witnessing,” he added.

  • SAD! How journalists are dying daily in war ravaged Gaza

    SAD! How journalists are dying daily in war ravaged Gaza

    Israel-Hamas conflict continues to unfold, the toll on journalists covering the war has been staggering, with at least a dozen reporters losing their lives and numerous others sustaining injuries or facing harassment. This grim reality is highlighted in a report by the Voice of America (VOA), which sheds light on the risks faced by members of the press.

    Among the casualties are journalists from prominent media outlets, including Reuters, Al Jazeera, and Agence France-Presse (AFP), organizations that have been committed to delivering news from the front lines.

    One tragic incident involved video journalist Issam Abdallah from Reuters, who lost his life while reporting live near the border in southern Lebanon. His death stands as a stark reminder of the perilous conditions under which many journalists operate, striving to bring the world a firsthand account of the conflict.

    The situation is increasingly worrisome, with a United Nations spokesperson acknowledging that if conditions deteriorate further, more tragic incidents like this are likely to occur.

    The Israel-Hamas conflict, which began with Hamas militants launching an onslaught in Israel on October 7, has taken a devastating toll on all sides. The death toll has climbed to over 4,000 people, underscoring the gravity of the situation.

    The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has reported that among the casualties, at least 12 were reporters who were covering the ongoing attack and counteroffensive.

    These journalists put their lives on the line to provide the world with a glimpse into the realities of the conflict, and their sacrifices serve as a poignant reminder of the risks faced by those dedicated to upholding the principles of a free press in the midst of crisis.

    The Israel-Hamas war is not only a conflict with profound geopolitical implications but also a human tragedy, affecting journalists and civilians alike. As the situation continues to evolve, the protection of journalists and the fundamental principles of press freedom remain crucial to shedding light on the realities of war and it’s consequences.