South Africa Urges Immediate Ceasefire in Gaza, Citing ‘Man-Made Famine’ and ‘Genocidal Intent’
“The continued killing of Palestinians has risen exponentially and we maintain that a ceasefire is necessary to hold the humanitarian crisis,” South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola told reporters.
Lamola highlighted a joint UN agency report confirming a “man-made famine” in Gaza, attributing it to the failure to implement provisional measures or a ceasefire, echoing concerns raised by South Africa’s Gaza genocide case against Israel at the ICJ.
The minister also reiterated demands for the release of all hostages and political prisoners from both sides.
South Africa’s plea comes amid growing international pressure, including recent ICC arrest warrants for Israel’s prime minister and former defense minister for alleged war crimes, and catastrophic conditions in Gaza, where nearly 63,000 Palestinian civilians have been killed since October 2023, according to local officials.
Reporters and journalists are among targeted by Israel IDF
CNN analyzed of new footage showing the “double-tap” attack on Gaza’s Nasser Hospital was in fact three strikes.
The first shell hit at 10:08 a.m., killing Reuters cameraman Hussam Al-Masri. Nine minutes later, as journalists, medics, and first responders rushed to help, two near-simultaneous shells struck the same staircase, causing most of the casualties.
Reuters cameraman Hatem Omar, wounded in the blast, said: “Journalists, patients, nurses, civil defense were on the stairs. We were directly targeted.”
Weapons experts told CNN the munitions were likely Israeli M339 tank shells, with the timing suggesting a coordinated strike by two tanks.
