The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) confirmed on Tuesday that Minister Naledi Pandor received a request to call the Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh to discuss getting humanitarian aid to Palestine.
"During the call, and in line with the government's position, Minister Pandor reiterated South Africa's solidarity and support for the people of Palestine and expressed sadness and regret for the loss of innocent lives, both Palestinians and Israelis.
"Minister Pandor's call with the Hamas leader is in line with South Africa's readiness to engage all interlocutors as part of facilitating dialogue to end the ongoing conflict. South Africa, therefore, calls on all sides to seize the opportunity for peace as opposed to violence, and for the international community to actively advocate for the implementation of its own international resolutions and establish a credible peace process.
President Cyril Ramaphosa used his weekly newsletter on Monday to call for an immediate cessation of acts of war between Israel and Palestine, the opening of humanitarian corridors and a United Nations-led negotiation process towards resolving the conflict. "It has never been our nature as South Africans to reserve our empathy only for those with whom we share an ethnic, racial, religious or cultural affinity.
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