African states react to Hamas-Israel hostilities
A number of African leaders on Saturday called on the sides in the Hamas-Israeli conflict to stop hostilities, to restart negotiations and resume discussions on the implementation of “the principle of two states.”
Moussa Faki Mahamat, the head of the African Union, urged both parties to “return, without preconditions, to the negotiating table to implement the principle of two states living side by side.” The denial of the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people, particularly by an independent and sovereign state, is the main cause of the permanent Israeli-Palestinian tension, he said in a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Egypt called for the exercising of maximum self-restraint to avoid further bloodshed and to protect lives. The country’s foreign ministry said in a statement that the continuation of violence can lead to dangerous consequences, which would negatively affect the future of truce efforts. Cairo urged the active parties to resume peacemaking and called on Israel to stop provocative acts against the Palestinian people.
The Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs Yusuf Tuggar called for de-escalation and a ceasefire between the warring sides. Tuggar said the cycle of violence and retaliation only serves to perpetuate an “unending cycle of pain and suffering” for the civilian population that bears the brunt of every conflict.
“We are, therefore, calling for a peaceful resolution of the conflict through dialogue,” the minister stated.
South Africa called “for the immediate cessation of violence, restraint, and peace between Israel and Palestine.”
“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,” the country’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation said in a statement published on Saturday.
It also said previous UN resolutions for a two-state solution should be reconsidered, and that South Africa “seeks to ensure a lasting and durable peace that produces a viable, contiguous Palestinian State, existing side-by-side in peace with Israel, within the 1967 internationally recognised borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.”
The Algerian Foreign Ministry in its statement condemned Israel and the “brutal air strikes by occupation forces” on Gaza that were launched after the offensive by Hamas, describing them as a “blatant violation of all international laws.”
Korir Sing’Oei, principal secretary at Kenya’s foreign ministry, condemned Hamas’ attack, writing on X: “We repudiate the planners, funders and implementers of this heinous attack. While Israel has a right to retaliate, a peaceful path to resolving this unfortunate development is urged.”
Early on Saturday, Palestinian armed group Hamas launched a major surprise attack from Gaza, attacking multiple locations in southern Israel and launching barrages of rockets into Israeli territory. Israel conducted multiple retaliatory airstrikes on Gaza, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described the escalation as a “war,” announcing the call-up of reservists.
