South Africa and Chad announced they would recall diplomats from Israel for “consultation” in response to the Israel-Hamas war.
“The South African government has decided to withdraw all of its diplomats in Tel Aviv for consultation,” Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said on Monday in a news conference to announce the outcome of a cabinet meeting held on November 1.
The South African government told CNN there were three diplomats in Israel to be recalled.
“Cabinet has also noted the continuing disparaging remarks of the Israeli ambassador to South Africa about those who are opposing the atrocities and the genocide of the Israeli government,” Ntshavheni said, adding that the ambassador’s role “is becoming very untenable.”
“A genocide under the watch of the international community cannot be tolerated,” Ntshavheni said during the briefing.
The ministry also reiterated South Africa’s call for an “immediate ceasefire.”
Meanwhile, Chad recalled the country’s chargé d’affaires to Israel on November 4 in reaction to the conflict in Gaza, according to a statement posted on Facebook by the Chadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The decision to recall the senior diplomat for consultations was taken in “indignation” at the ongoing conflict, said a post on the Chadian presidency website on Monday.
“Chad condemns the loss of human lives of many innocent civilians and calls for a ceasefire leading to a lasting solution to the Palestinian question,” the government spokesperson’s statement said.
The European Union will ramp up aid to Gaza by 25 million euros ($27 million), EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said, as the humanitarian catastrophe inside the strip deepens.
CNN reports that the EU chief said the current situation in Gaza is “dire,” during a speech to EU ambassadors in Brussels on Monday.
“Today I can announce that we are further increasing the humanitarian aid to Gaza by another 25 million euros. By doing so, the European Union would spend a total of 100 million euros in humanitarian aid for the civilians in Gaza,” she said.
The bloc is working alongside Israel, Egypt and the United Nations to facilitate more aid deliveries into Gaza, Von der Leyen added.
The Hamas-run health ministry said Monday the death toll in Gaza reached 10,022 people, after a night of heavy bombardment in the enclave.
The figure includes more than 4,000 children who have been killed, according to the ministry.
According to AFP, it said intense Israeli strikes overnight killed more than 200 people in Gaza.