South Africa makes ‘urgent request’ to ICJ to stop Israeli attacks on Rafah

And here we thought Israel would just comply - the point that’s being missed is Israel is fighting for their survival here, and doing a good job at it, where in the world do you fight a war and tell your enemy where you’re going to attack, Israel is. Hamas came looking for a fight and got themselves one, and now with a bloody nose are coming to others like SA to argue for reprieve - what a farce. The solution lies in the hands of the Palestinians themselves, hand over Hamas, let them drive out Hamas, let Hamas account for their aggression and heinous acts, they’re the scourge of the earth, and we’re defending them!. The Palestinians have for the past 20 years been refugees in their own land, whilst receiving billions in aid, where’s the money gone, just look underground and you’ll see where it’s gone, and there’s still people like SA wanting to defend Hamas’ cause - idiots to say the least. Sorry SA and those with this distorted view, get real!

That old Hag Pandor needs to retire....

ALL a political plot to win votes... But doing absolutely nothing here back home.

Perhaps they shouldn’t have embedded kidnapped civilian hostages amongst the civilian population?

Perhaps they shouldn’t have embedded kidnapped hostages amongst the civilian population?

All this hooha whilst BEE policies breech the rights of the minority in South Africa is a bit like the pot calling the kettle black methinks! Sort out your own mess before sorting out others would be my advice to our interfering ANC government!

It is really sad that Hamas is now using the congregation of so many innocent people in Rafah to hide behind a human shield again. The acts of 7 October have made Israel furious and determined to destroy Hamas. To make Israel the demon in this unfortunate saga is short sighted and testament to the fact that terrorist attacks never attract as much criticism as the defensive outcome. The right thing for Hamas would be to withdraw and isolate themselves to prevent any further killing and maiming of innocent people.

No ceasefire without the return of the hostages. Until then best you take over. Hamas punched their last ticket. Well played Israel.

But it’s ok for Russia to bomb Ukraine ? Why don’t you fix the mess in SA before worrying about other countries.

Maybe the South African government should warn their terrorist friends not to murder Israeli's next time. Of course this time it's too late.

Israel is THE most humane Government in the entire world, and this is A FACT. They will never launch a full scale attack against Chamas in Rafah before they have done everything humanly possible to evacuate the large Palestinian Civilian Refugee Population that is now found in that area. However, NOTHING is going to stop them from completely wiping Chamas off the face of our earth, and in this I support them 110%. מעין

Note that these desperate appeals match the desperate situation of Hamas exactly. Hamas must be screaming its instructions by now.

The Iran bribes in motion - Hamas is cornered and on the verge of being eliminated and the piggies must squeal...

It's almost like South Africa read a different judgement to the rest of the world.

For all those imploring that Pandor address the issues of Russia/Ukraine, Sudan, domestic crime and so on it really comes across as whataboutism. These are all important issues. But so is genocide. Would we be happy if South Africa just withdrew from the treaty? What would that say about us as a country if we couldn't agree to oppose the most evil of human crimes? At least countries like the US, Germany, France, Israel, England, Netherlands - all signatories to the convention - pretend to care even as they support the Israel war machine. We should just abandon our morality? Nah. For those rightly concerned about the hostages, try engaging with basic strategy rather than some Rambo fantasy about Merkavas or F35 or 2000lbs bombs as being some sort of sensible approach. Ditto for the destruction of Hamas. This is an unfolding genocide. Engagement in Rafah "could have gravely devastating consequences for the 1.4 million people who have nowhere left to go". This for a population already being strangled. But hey, I guess everything the ANC does is wrong, right?

Weird that they don't like the war they started, 7/10, does that ring any bells Pandor.

Yes, what about the hostages? What about the Palestinians being killed for the last 10 years in Syria? Nigeria- Christians being murdered.....etc only noise about what happens on Israel's borders. What about the level of crime in SA- murders and rapes etc............ Can we fix SA first?

The ICJ ordered Hamas to release the hostages. Pandor conveniently fails to mention this. Double standards par for the course for the ANC.

Pathetic and shrill bleating from the most hypocritical cabal of villains! We all want an end to the violence and a just peace in the Middle East but coming from such a flawed, false and hyper-hypocritical player party such as the vile anc, who only see and condemn '"genocide" when they select to, ignoring all other that is happening - who could possibly take them seriously? Poor puffed up fools - can't get their own way and they are throwing their toys out of the cot. If this wicked anc was true to its so-called human right values, our Constitution etc., they equally would condemn Putin, Assad from Syria, the Iranian evil regime etc. Perhaps then most countries would take them seriously.

What a ridiculous situation. A failed state which cares naught for its own citizens spends an inordinate amount of time and money on a war on the other side of the world siding with a terrorist organization whose stated objective is to wipe a whole country’s population.

Looking at these comments it strikes me how the ANC has yet again misread the room. Not one comment is in favour of the ANC's ICJ stunt. What a truly out of touch, incompetent bunch of self-serving thieves

ANC, please stop supporting terrorists like Hamas, who are continually firing rockets at Israeli targets and expect them to not retaliate. And please stop alligning yourselves with countries who don’t care about human rights, have terrorist tendencies themselves and jeoperdise world peace by taunting western nations with nuclear weapons.

Violence begets violence. There are going to be ongoing consequences stemming from this brutal onslaught on mostly innocent civilians, the level of hatred is going to be never-ending and this is going to spread out globally beyond the Middle East region. Let us not try to justify who started what, let us not claim the right to suffering and to being the ultimate victim of history. Victims all too easily become perpetrators in an endless cycle of repetition compulsion. Until a change in consciousness occurs, and one steps out of the endless cycle of pain and suffering and chooses love.

Disgusting war pigs

Israel wouldn't dare conduct war in Rafah if leaders from the Pro Palestinian faction offer themselves as human shields in Rafah.

We have a community innitiative where residents in our area contribute food and old cloting to a small location squeezed between the backwall of a industrial complex andtrain tracks. The living conditions suffered by these South Africans is shocking, the children literally sleep on a piece of wood in a tin shack that is blistering hot during the day and bitterly cold at night. A family of four lives off a can of food, a loaf of bread and a sachet of milk every day...where is the ANC government compassion for these people? Why are they so enthralled with what is happening in a foreign country when their own citizens are living from hand to mouth?

Its like our government cant read

The SA government should urgently attend to all the problems they've created in this country over the past 30 years before interfering in other country's problems.

Confucius: You cannot have your cake and eat it.

It is at moments like these that you feel guilty in that you can't be physically involved in destroying this evil..

Urgent request, nê? Anyone listening?

The world is sick and people are with the murdering of women and children in large. They are not condeming acts of violence behaviour but instead crying for acts of violence against vulnerable women, children, old-age and a population (Islam). This will not happen as Islam will live until judgement day.

Perhaps South Africa, aka the ANC, should use its diplomatic skills to ask the ICJ to firstly force Hamas to release ALL the hostages as was issued by the ICJ? Then, ask the ICJ to ask Israel to cease their attacks, which was not in fact a request issued by the ICJ. First things first. Why is the ANC not putting pressure on Hamas to release the hostages, and then, Israel can then legitimately be asked to cease their attacks. But, while the hostages are still held by Hamas, then surely Israel can still legitimately continue to look for hostages, and turn over all stones? What is Hamas afraid of that Israel will find further in underground tunnels? What are still hidden there ?

This just puts more pressure on the US ,who are getting no traction with Netanyahu . The 2 minor policy moves against Israel to try to get the message across of their disapproval did not work. The sanctioning of settlers and including Israel for the first time on Countries that have to submit a report on usage of US arms so that they comply with international law (that report due by Israel in a few weeks ) .

What are the SA Government doing with the Gaza situation. They should spend as much time getting the country in order before meddling in Foreign situations. Will they ever learn? Probably not. John

So... "The South African State" (read: the failed, depraved ANC government) wants the ICJ to prevent an Israeli attack on Rafah. So Hamas can regroup?! It's trash day. Clean it out. When cancer is radiated - and there's little else that'll work - healthy cells are lost in saving the patient's life. I'm done ducking in empathy - the parents of the children of Gaza should long have protected their offspring against the inevitable harm begged by Hamas. It's on them, on the parents. Leave now, any which way; make a plan - it's desperation time long coming.

hmmm

South Africa has so many problems and is close to imploding but the ANC want to get invloved in somebodies else's mess. Iran must be speanding a lot of money to get ANC to play this game.

what a strange thing to do. why don't they do their jobs in SA? their support for murderous terrorists will end up costing South African jobs

This is very sad..

Well, why don't the ANC show their leadership "skills" p please beg their Hamas friends to relent, release the hostages unconditionally, surrender and deliver the top three Hamas leaders to stand trial for human right infringements and for the murder of non military civilians - Israel and Palestinians. They should then be executed like the Nazi's at Nuremberg trials 1946-1947. Israel has no other option but to keep momentum and crush Hamas, at least for peace for the present generations.

How about making an urgent request to Comrade Bheki to stop allowing the people who feed you to keep getting slaughtered? Just a thought. Maybe you can attempt to do something about the litany of other failures that have occurred under your 'watch'. The world sees right through you, they know you are incompetent and corrupt, you are not fooling anyone except you naive abused voters.

Well spoken and what's more this God is fully in control of this dreadful situation because He cares deeply for His people in both Israel and Gza.

Is there a large payment coming from overseas to fill the ANC's coffers?

There is a highway of sophisticated tunnels in Rafah, probably more so than what has already been revealed and destroyed. Maybe there are other sensitive matters that need to be concealed. Just witness the weapons they have at their disposal. Why is that senile Biden doing all to demand a ceasefire. Wait to see the egg on many faces...soon.

Clearly a lot of commentators around here are just really or wilfully ignorant. The hypocrisy of the ANC is irrelevant. The only issue is the situation in Gaza. The horrors of the Holocaust do not give the Israelis a free pass to commit the genocide they are obviously engaged in. If you support Israels actions, you are a a murderous individual lacking common humanity and any sense of morality.

Reading through the comments, one cannot help feeling a strong nostolgia for Apartheid, an inhumane system that promotes the interests of one group and disregards the humanity of others. Apartheid fell, not because the majority of white South Africans suddenly woke up believing in democracy, it is because the majority of black people relentlessly resisted it, a few whites joined them and the international community (not western governments) stood by them. This alliance exists to this day and for the sake of humanity everywhere, it remains our only hope. Yet those on the side of Apartheid systems are growing immensely powerful and so, the struggle continues.

Why don't South Africa also launch an appeal at the ICJ against Russia's genocidal invasion of the Ukrain? Don't want to upset the communist ANC regime's in-bed relationship with Russia?

Hereros - autocorrect I hate You

Why pick the side that looks like it's committing genocide though?