South Africa has expressed its horror at the Israeli occupation military’s announcement that Rafah should be evacuated as it prepares to use extreme force on the southern Gazan city. The Department of International Relations and Cooperation says this announcement not only ignores the International Court of Justice (ICJ) order but shows that the Israeli occupation entity intends to increase its genocidal actions in Gaza.

Dirco has called on the international community to act against Israel saying it cannot ignore the grave violations of international law and the UN Charter by the “state”. It adds that inaction in the face of these Israeli violations and public threats of more violations amounts to ignoring the world’s collective responsibility to protect innocent civilians, including children in Gaza.