The BRICS group of nations Tuesday called for an immediate and sustained humanitarian truce in Gaza during an extraordinary summit where the chair, held by South Africa, accused Israel of war crimes and "genocide" in the Palestinian territory.
Pretoria hosted the virtual meeting of BRICS, with the major emerging economies, including Brazil, Russia, India, China and a few Arab and African guests, aimed at drawing up a common response to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa accused Israel of war crimes and "genocide" in Gaza.
"The collective punishment of Palestinian civilians through the unlawful use of force by Israel is a war crime. The deliberate denial of medicine, fuel, food and water to the residents of Gaza is tantamount to genocide," Ramaphosa said.
#BREAKING South Africa's President Ramaphosa accuses Israel of war crimes and actions 'tantamount to genocide' at BRICS summit pic.twitter.com/wFa45UZ8bN
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) November 21, 2023
Fighting has raged in Gaza after Hamas gunmen killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, during cross-border raids on 7 October, the deadliest attack in Israel's history.
In retaliation, Israel launched a relentless bombing campaign and ground offensive in Gaza, which is ruled by Hamas, killing more than 13,300 people, thousands of them children.
Immediate ceasefire
Ramaphosa also called for an "immediate and comprehensive ceasefire" and the deployment of a UN force "to monitor the cessation of hostilities and protect civilians."
He added, "As individual countries, we have demonstrated our grave concern at the death and destruction in Gaza.
"Let this meeting stand as a clarion call for us to combine our efforts and strengthen our actions to end this historical injustice."
South Africa has 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.
Earlier this month, Pretoria recalled all its diplomats from Israel and last week it joined four other nations in calling for an International Criminal Court investigation into the conflict.
On Monday, Israel's foreign ministry said it had also recalled its ambassador to Pretoria for consultations.
Peace conference
Chinese President Xi Jinping also addressed a virtual summit of fellow BRICS leaders on Tuesday and called for an "international peace conference" to resolve the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
"There can be no sustainable peace and security in the Middle East without a just solution to the question of Palestine," Xi said, speaking through an interpreter.
He urged the "early convening of an international peace conference that is more authoritative to build international consensus for peace".
Since the outbreak of the latest Palestinian-Israeli conflict, China has been working actively to promote peace talks and a ceasefire, with Beijing providing assistance "to help ease the humanitarian plight in Gaza", which Xi intends to continue to do.
China has historically been sympathetic to the Palestinians and supportive of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The meeting also included representatives from Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia.
#BREAKING: On behalf of King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman leads #SaudiArabia's delegation in the virtual extraordinary meeting of BRICS leaders and invited nations, addressing the escalating situation in #Gaza pic.twitter.com/UWiHN9i1aN
— Saudi Gazette (@Saudi_Gazette) November 21, 2023
The UN Secretary-General António Guterres also participated.
Indian Prime minister Modi, skipped the BRICS-Plus virtual summit and sent his External Affairs Minister Jaishankar instead.
(with newswires)
