NewsRescue
On Saturday, a number of African leaders urged both sides in the Hamas-Israel conflict to halt hostilities, reopen dialogue, and resume discussions on the implementation of “the principle of two states.”
The African Union’s head, Moussa Faki Mahamat, urged both parties to “return, without preconditions, to the negotiating table to implement the principle of two states living side by side.” The rejection of the Palestinian people’s fundamental rights, notably by an independent and sovereign state, is the root cause of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he said in a statement posted on X (previously Twitter).
Egypt has appealed for maximum restraint to prevent additional bloodshed and to save lives. The country’s foreign ministry stated in a statement that the continuance of violence could have severe ramifications for the future of peace attempts. Cairo encouraged the involved parties to resume peace efforts and Israel to cease provocative actions against the Palestinian people.
Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar has urged for de-escalation and a cease-fire between the warring parties. Tuggar claims that the loop of violence and vengeance perpetuates a “unending cycle of pain and suffering” for civilians.
“We are, therefore, calling for a peaceful resolution of the conflict through dialogue,” the minister stated.
South Africa called “for the immediate cessation of violence, restraint, and peace between Israel and Palestine.”
“The new conflagration has arisen from the continued illegal occupation of Palestine land, continued settlement expansion, desecration of the Al Aqsa Mosque and Christian holy sites, and ongoing oppression of the Palestinian people,” the country’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation said in a statement published on Saturday
It also stated that previous United Nations resolutions calling for a two-state solution should be reconsidered, and that South Africa “seeks to ensure a lasting and durable peace that produces a viable, contiguous Palestinian State, existing side by side in peace with Israel, within the 1967 internationally recognised borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.”
In a statement, Algeria’s Foreign Ministry slammed Israel and the “brutal air strikes by occupation forces” on Gaza that followed Hamas’ offensive, calling them a “blatant violation of all international laws.”
Korir Sing’Oei, Kenya’s foreign ministry’s principal secretary, criticised Hamas’ strike, writing on X, “We repudiate the planners, funders, and implementers of this heinous attack.” While Israel has the right to retaliate, there is a peaceful way to resolve this.