Not a ceasefire agreement yet; Vatican says “Israel’s actions in Gaza are not proportionate
According to US and Israeli sources speaking to Israel’s Walla news portal, the “main gap” in the ongoing peace talks is the number of Palestinian inmates that Hamas wants freed.
Al Jazeera also reports that South Africa has asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to step in ahead of Israel’s upcoming ground invasion of Rafah.
Anadolu Agency said on Tuesday that Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, is home to over a million people who are fleeing Israel’s stronghold, and that on Tuesday, South Africa’s deputy permanent representative to the UN voiced concerns over a potential Israeli attack on the city.
Marthinus van Schalkwyk stated at a UN Security Council meeting on the upkeep of global peace and security, “The announcement of expanded military operations in Rafah, which has turned into a de facto refugee camp, further perpetuates the displacement of Palestinians and threatens civilians’ almost nonexistent livelihoods.”
He said, “This totally disobeys the order of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued on January 26.”
His comments followed South Africa’s request that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) promptly evaluate Israel’s plans to increase its military presence in Rafah and determine if the court should take action to stop additional violations of Palestinian rights.
Since the Palestinian organization Hamas launched an offensive on October 7, Israel has bombarded the Gaza Strip, killing at least 28,473 individuals and injured 68,146 more. It is estimated that 1,200 Israelis perished in the first Hamas strike.
According to Al Jazeera, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the secretary of state of the Vatican, condemned the events on October 7 with “clear and unreserved condemnation” but demanded that “Israel’s right to defense be proportionate.”
With 30,000 dead, it most definitely isn’t, Parolin said. “There is a general voice asking Israel to stop, saying that we need to find other ways to solve the Gaza problem and they can’t continue like this.”
