Humanitarian Truce
During an extraordinary summit, the BRICS group of nations, comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, called for an immediate and sustained humanitarian truce in Gaza. Hosted virtually by Pretoria, the meeting addressed Israel’s ongoing military offensive in Gaza.
BRICS leaders urged an immediate, durable, and sustained humanitarian truce, emphasizing support for regional and international efforts to achieve a cessation of hostilities and ensure the protection of civilians along with the provision of humanitarian aid.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa accused Israel of war crimes, describing the collective punishment of Palestinian civilians through the unlawful use of force as a war crime. He further stated that the deliberate denial of essential resources to Gaza residents amounts to genocide.
The summit took place amidst intense fighting in Gaza, which originated when Hamas fighters killed approximately 1,200 people in cross-border raids, prompting a forceful response from Israel.
Leaders from BRICS, which positions itself as a counterweight to the Western-led global order, condemned Hamas’s attacks and hostage-taking as barbaric acts. While supporting a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, they stressed the need for a long-term diplomatic solution to ensure peace in the region. Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed an international peace conference as part of this effort.
The summit included representatives from countries set to join BRICS in January 2024, such as Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates.
South Africa, known for its historical support of the Palestinian cause, has been proactive in recalling diplomats from Israel and endorsing an International Criminal Court investigation into the conflict. The summit coincided with talks involving foreign ministers from the Palestinian Authority, Indonesia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan, indicating a broader diplomatic engagement on the issue.
