[WATCH] South Africa pledges R50 million in humanitarian aid to Gaza

Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Ronald Lamola said South Africa has pledged R50 million in humanitarian relief aid to alleviate the dire situation in the Gaza Strip.

Lamola lead a South African delegation to a high level conference titled the “Call for Action: Urgent Humanitarian Response to Gaza”  on Tuesday.

The conference is being be held in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in the Middle East.

Watch Ronald Lamola speaks about SA’s R50 million pledge

SA’s contribution to Gaza

The high-level conference will among others, articulate how the minimum requirements for ensuring sustained, predictable and sufficient supplies of humanitarian assistance can reach into and throughout Gaza via land and sea routes in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2720 (2023).

Lamola said the money will be channelled through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), a Palestinian refugee relief agency.

“Since our ICJ (International Court of Justice) court case, our government has approved a contribution of R50 million for humanitarian aid to Palestinians…My country has also contributed to the UN Central Energy Fund with the hope that this much-needed contributions’ will go a long way in assisting the UN and other humanitarian organisations interventions in Gaza.

“South Africa supports the efforts by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to hold accountable all responsible for genocide and massacre in the Gaza Strip,” Lamola.  

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Gaza ceasefire

South Africa also welcomed Monday’s United Nations  Security Council (UNSC) resolution that aims to end Israel’s eight-month assault on Gaza.

The vote on the United States-sponsored resolution was 14-0, with Russia abstaining.

The resolution welcomes a three-phase ceasefire proposal which calls for an initial six-week ceasefire and the exchange of some Israeli captives held in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

The second phase would include a permanent ceasefire and the release of the remaining captives while the third phase would involve a reconstruction effort for the devastated Gaza Strip.

Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad said they submitted a response to a UN-backed ceasefire proposal to mediators in Qatar and Egypt, according to Al Jazeera.

Death toll in Gaza soars

The death toll in Gaza has soared to more than 37 160 people, most of them women and children. More than 84, 000 have been injured according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

The Israeli onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with the enclave’s infrastructure damaged or destroyed and nearly 2 million residents displaced amid shortages of food, potable water, and medicines.

Authorities claim the attacks by Hamas have killed about 1,200 Israelis.

ALSO READ: WATCH: ICJ orders Israel to immediately stop attacks in southern Gaza city of Rafah