MBABANE:Israel is deliberately depriving the people of Gaza of humanitarian aid and condemning an entire civilian population to starvation, Zane Dangor, South Africa’s Director General for Department of International Relations and Cooperation(DIRCO) argued before the International Court of Justice(ICJ) on Tuesday as reported by the Mail & Guardian.
It has been reported that, Zane Dangor cited a warning by major aid groups and NGOs in Gaza that a 50-day blockade on aid is pushing the enclave into famine to complete collapse.
“This collapse is by design,” he said before quoting Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz saying on 16 April that the Government was not prepared to allow aid into Gaza.
“Under the world’s watchful eye, Palestinians across the Palestinian territory are being subjected to atrocity crimes, persecution, apartheid and genocide.While we watch the gaze of Palestinians is directly squarely at the international community and this court whose advice is urgently being sought for the protection of the most fundamental rights including the right to life,” said the DIRCO Director General.
South Africa was the first of about 40 countries to address the court in hearings for an advisory opinion on Israel’s legal obligation to allow aid to Palestinians and to cooperate with the United Nations’ Palestinian aid agency UNRWA.
Zane Dangor cited a warning by major aid groups and NGOs in Gaza that a 50-day blockade on aid is pushing the enclave into famine to complete collapse. (Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images).