SA Welcomes Israel, Hamas Ceasefire Agreement After 15-Month ‘Genocide’

• South Africa has given the announcement of a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas a thumbs-up
• The deal, which comes into effect on Sunday, 19 January 2025, ends a conflict which began on 7 October 2023
• SA called for a just and lasting peace treaty to promote and protect human rights following the ceasefire

TSHWANE — The South African government has welcomed the ceasefire deal reached coming out of the 2023 Israel-Hamas war.

Outgoing US President Joe Biden announced the news from the White House on Wednesday, 15 January 2025.

Ceasefire heralds Israeli-Hamas War ending

The deal ends a 15-month conflict effective Sunday, 19 January, a day before President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration as the 47th US President.

In response, the International Relations and Cooperation Department, after SA filed a case against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on 28 October 2024, called it the end of a genocidal onslaught on Gaza.

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The armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and Israel began when Hamas-led militant groups launched a surprise attack on Israel on 7 October 2023.

SA joined other global countries, including Germany and Britain, in praising the emergence of an expected widescale and lasting ceasefire.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz insisted the deal must be implemented to the letter, saying the ceasefire opens the door to a permanent end to the war.

French President Emmanuel Macron added:

"The agreement must be respected. The hostages [must be] freed [and] the Gazans rescued. A political solution must be found."

The European leaders further hoped that the deal's first phase could lead to prolonged peace.

The International Relations and Cooperation Department's statement outlined SA's call for the implementation of a just and lasting peace, promoting and protecting both Palestinians and Israeli human rights.

"The agreement [marks] a crucial first step towards ending the [extensive] humanitarian crisis 2.3 million Palestinians face in the Gaza Strip. The ICJ deemed it to be plausibly genocidal.

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"The ceasefire should lay the basis for a just peace, including establishing a contiguous, independent, and viable Palestinian state.

"Palestinian sovereignty and territorial integrity must be upheld. Importantly, no land [must be] annexed in Gaza or the West Bank after the ceasefire. Illegal settlement expansion [must be] halted."

Additionally, SA called for the occupying power to adhere to the ICJ's provisional measures after successive rulings, including issuing Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's arrest warrant on Thursday, 21 November 2024.

"International and humanitarian law must be respected and upheld. Immediate and massive aid is needed for urgent relief to civilians in Gaza.

"All obstacles to delivering [the] aid must immediately and unconditionally be lifted, allowing civilians unrestricted access to essential food, water, shelter, and healthcare," concluded the statement.

Ukraine's spirit shines through SA

In a related story, Briefly News reported that Ukraine on 19 November 2024 marked 1,000 days of resistance against full-scale rocket, drone and artillery strikes amid ongoing attacks from Russia.

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Essential infrastructure, such as schools, hospitals, churches, kindergartens, and museums, has borne the brunt of enemy fire.

Notably, after the Kremlin renewed its warring campaign on 23 February 2022, thousands of Ukrainian citizens suffered unimaginable violations.

Source: Briefly News