Israel’s foreign affairs brief noted that the ambassador to South Africa was recalled for consultations following recent remarks issued from Jerusalem. This update was reported by RIA News. The accompanying post on X quoted by the spokesperson explained that the Israeli ambassador to South Africa had been summoned back to the capital for discussions amid those statements.
In a separate development, Cyril Ramaphosa, acting on the grounds of the International Criminal Court, signaled that an inquiry would examine Israel’s actions in Palestine in relation to alleged war crimes in the region.
South Africa’s governing African National Congress indicated it would back calls to close the Israeli embassy within the country, signaling a significant diplomatic position from Pretoria.
The tension in the Middle East intensified after thousands of Hamas militants breached Israeli defenses from the Gaza Strip on October 7, with Hamas announcing the start of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel was at war.
Israel’s campaign, dubbed Operation Iron Sword, aimed to neutralize the assault, secure the release of more than 200 hostages including foreign nationals, and dismantle Hamas’s capabilities. To this end, intensive rocket strikes targeted the Gaza Strip from the outset of the operation. Concurrently, Israel’s National Security Council authorized restrictions on water, food, goods, electricity, and fuel into the territory. Humanitarian aid shipments to Gaza began through the Rafah crossing only after October 20, and reports indicated that aid volumes were insufficient to meet demand.
On October 27, Israel announced an expansion of the ground offensive in Gaza. The exact start date of the broader operation remained unclear, but prior to the ground push, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled their homes in favor of shelters in the south of the region. By November 5, as IDF units pressed into Gaza City, surrounding areas faced continued fighting while central Gaza still hosted pockets of resistance.
Earlier references in South Africa contrasted Putin’s arrest with a declaration of war, signaling a broader pattern of international responses to escalating crises.