South Africa condemns Israel's bombing of hospitals in Gaza

JOHANNESBURG - South Africa on Wednesday condemned Israel's continuous bombing of civilian targets, including hospitals in Gaza, calling it a "flagrant violation" of international humanitarian law.

This came after the missile strike by Israeli forces on the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital -- reportedly the last functional hospital in Gaza City -- on Sunday, according to a statement issued by the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO). It said the attack on the hospital forced the evacuation of dozens of wounded people and left Gaza critically short of emergency care.

"South Africa joins the global condemnation of the bombing, which is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law," said DIRCO. "Israel has bombed, burned, and destroyed at least 35 hospitals in Gaza since the start of the war in October 2023. Attacks on health facilities, medical personnel, and patients are considered a war crime under the IV Geneva Convention of 1949."

According to the department, Israeli military forces also killed 15 humanitarian personnel in Gaza, eight Palestinian Red Crescent Society health workers, one staff member from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, and six members of the Palestinian Civil Defense who were on a rescue mission on March 23.

"Deliberate attacks on medics and humanitarian workers are prohibited by international law and constitute war crimes. First responders like civilians and other non-combatants are never legitimate targets," DIRCO stressed.

"We are also concerned that Israel has halted the entry of all aid into Gaza since March 2. This is in defiance of the binding provisional orders of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which ordered Israel to ensure unhindered access of humanitarian aid in Gaza," said the department. "The international community must hold Israel accountable through effective counter-measures, as the impunity enjoyed by Israel has emboldened its genocidal actions in Palestine."

In December 2023, South Africa approached the ICJ seeking an interdict for the court to compel Israel to halt attacks on Palestine and declare these acts as genocide. In January 2024, the UN court ordered Israel to take all possible measures to prevent acts of genocide and ensure humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip.