International Relations Minister Naledi Pandor has pleaded with the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue warrant of arrests for Israeli officials involved in the killing of civilians in Palestine.
Pandor says the ICC was quick to issue a warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over alleged war crimes in Ukraine but it is silent on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
She was delivering a lecture at the University of Johannesburg in honour of the slain Palestinian journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh.
“In memory of Shireen Abu Akleh, we all continue to call on the ICC to prosecute these war crimes and issue arrest warrants for those leaders in Israel who have ordered and presided over these crimes. The slowest to investigate and prosecute those responsible for these war crimes necessitates greater mobilisation among youth and civil societies around the globe to ensure that justice for Palestinians is realised.”
Meanwhile, UN agencies and other NGOs continue to express uncertainty around humanitarian access to Gaza, after Israel closed two key entry points.
The country appears to be preparing for a limited incursion into the southern city of Rafah after blocking both the Karem Shalom and Rafah border crossings earlier this week.
The Israel Defence Force says it has reopened the Karem Shalom, which it closed at the weekend after a Hamas rocket attack killed and injured several IDF soldiers.
Agencies warn that Israel’s closure of Rafah will severely impact on humanitarian operations
