UNGA: Ramaphosa Urges Global Leaders to Take Bold Steps to End Palestinian Suffering

South Africa has called for a peaceful resolution to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

Addressing the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, President Cyril Ramaphosa urged global leaders to take decisive measures to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people.

“The violence being inflicted on Palestinians is a grim extension of more than five decades of apartheid imposed by Israel. As South Africans, we recognize apartheid—we experienced it, we suffered, and many of us died because of it. We will not stand by in silence as this injustice is imposed on others,” Ramaphosa declared.

Since October of last year, Israel has intensified its military operations in Palestinian territories, resulting in the deaths of at least 41,000 people, including women and children, according to Palestinian officials.

Some nations, including Turkey, have called for the UN to impose sanctions on Israel.

Meanwhile, Lebanese authorities reported that Israeli airstrikes targeting Hezbollah militants over the past two days have claimed 564 lives. Palestinian officials in Gaza stated that additional Israeli strikes killed over two dozen more people.

Israel’s military vowed to continue its operations against Hezbollah, aiming to push the group back from the Lebanese-Israeli border. The two sides have been exchanging fire since the Israel-Hamas war erupted. On Monday, Israel launched hundreds of airstrikes in southern and eastern Lebanon, leaving nearly 500 dead and over 1,600 wounded.

The strikes triggered a mass exodus from southern Lebanon, with thousands fleeing towards Beirut in the largest displacement since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah conflict.

Lebanon, still reeling from a recent attack on communication devices, has blamed Israel for the incident, though Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility. On Tuesday, Hezbollah fired approximately 100 projectiles toward Israel, according to Israeli military reports.