South Africa has called for the immediate cessation of violence, restraint, and peace between Israel and Palestine.
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) said in a statement that the government was gravely concerned over the recent devastating escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Hundreds of people on either side of the conflict have already been killed after fighters from the group Hamas crossed into Israel this weekend, and attacked several towns while also taking civilians and soldiers hostages.
The group said the unprecedented attack was in response to years of occupation and the recent desecration of Al Aqsa mosque among others.
Israel responded to the surprise attack with a massive and sustained bombardment of Gaza City, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warning Palestinians to evacuate as they were “at war”.
As heavy fighting continued on Sunday, DIRCO said the new conflagration has arisen from the continued illegal occupation of Palestine land, continued settlement expansion, desecration of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Christian holy sites, and ongoing oppression of the Palestinian people.
It said the region is in desperate need of a credible peace process that delivers on the calls of a “plethora” of previous United Nations (UN) resolutions for a two-state solution and a just and comprehensive peace between Israel and Palestine.
The Department has called on all sides to "seize the opportunity for peace as opposed to violence, and for the international community to actively rise on the side of its international resolutions and establish a credible peace process."
Meanwhile, Amnesty International said Israeli security forces and armed Palestinian groups must make every effort to protect lives of ordinary people.
“Civilians on both sides are paying the price of unprecedented escalation in hostilities between Israel and Gaza,” said Agnès Callamard Amnesty International’s Secretary General.
“We urgently call on all parties to the conflict to abide by international law and make every effort to avoid further civilian bloodshed. Under international humanitarian law all sides in a conflict have a clear obligation to protect the lives of civilians caught up in the hostilities,” she said.
Callamard also said the root causes of these repeated cycles of violence must be addressed as a matter of urgency.
