The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) has expressed outrage following the recent discovery of a mass grave containing the remains of over 200 Palestinian civilians at Nasser Hospital in Gaza.
This comes as Israel’s war on Palestine entered its 200th day on Tuesday, killing at least 34 183 people and destroying 380 000 housing units, 412 schools and universities, 556 mosques, three churches as well as 206 archaeological and heritage sites in Gaza since 7 October, Al Jazeera reported.
The destruction amounts to at least $30 billion in economic losses, the Palestinian Government Media Office said.
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‘South Africa is appalled by the recent grim discovery of a mass grave containing the remains of 202 Palestinian civilians at Nasser Hospital in Gaza,’ Dirco said in a statement.
‘These grim findings call for immediate and comprehensive investigations to ensure justice and accountability.’
As per SA Gov News, this follows the reported discovery of mass graves at Al-Shifa Hospital on Sunday, 21 April.
‘Israel continues to disregard the rulings by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and UN Resolutions unabated amid the unrelenting bombardment of Gaza, particularly the ICJ’s ruling, which granted South Africa’s Urgent Request of 6 March for further provisional measures to prevent Israel from causing irreparable harm to the rights invoked by South Africa under the 1948 Genocide Convention in respect of the ongoing siege of Gaza,’ the statement continued.
‘The Court was unambiguous when it agreed with South Africa’s assertion that the situation in Gaza had deteriorated significantly since the Court’s Order of 26 January 2024 as a result of Israel’s failure and responsibility to comply with the Court’s ruling.
Following the ICJ ruling as well as multiple calls for a ceasefire from SA’s International Relations Minister Naledi Pandor, other international government bodies and the United Nationals Security Council (UNSC), the department said ‘the lack of accountability by Israel is increasingly clear’.
‘South Africa concurs with the assertion made by the UN’s Special Rapporteur on the right to health, Ms Tlaleng Mofokeng, when she aptly stated that Israel’s war in Gaza has from the start been a “war on the right to health” and has “obliterated” the Palestinian territory’s health system,’ read the statement.
Al Jazeera reported that Israel’s attacks have knocked 32 hospitals and 53 health centres out of service with 126 ambulances also targeted.
‘We further concur with the UN’s Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories, Ms Francesca Albanese, when she recently highlighted that the continuation of Israel’s impunity and exceptionalism is no longer viable, especially in light of the binding UN Security Council Resolution 2728, which called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza,’ continued the statement.
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‘In this respect, we call on the international community to act to bring the perpetrators to justice and ensure accountability for the victims and their families.’
Continuing, Dirco noted that the evidence of mass killings of civilians points to the perpetration of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
These include murder and extermination as well as genocide as defined in Articles 6, 7 and 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, as well as violations of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, specifically the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilians in Time of War and Customary International Humanitarian Law.
‘International Humanitarian Law prohibits attacks on civilians and non-combatants, underlining the need to protect human life during times of war,’ the department cited in the statement.
Concluding its statement, Dirco called on the office of the prosecutor of the ICC, which has jurisdiction over the situation in Palestine, to ‘urgently lead a thorough and impartial investigation into this matter, that complies with international legal standards, to establish the facts and bring those responsible to justice’.
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