ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has welcomed the ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza following 15 months of war deal.
Speaking to reporters at ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Boksburg, Johannesburg, Mbalula commended the efforts and said the country remained in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Israel and Hamas have reached a cease-fire agreement that includes the release of hostages held by terrorists in Gaza and hundreds of Palestinian inmates in Israel.
It was finalised after peace negotiations concluded in Doha, Qatar. The terms of the agreement will take effect on Sunday.
“We welcome the ceasefire agreement and it is important to us because ultimately the occupation of Palestine is something that will continue long lasting peace in the Middle East.
“This is important in terms of our efforts to support Palestinian people. That struggle continues,” he said.
However, Mbalula said those who performed the atrocious acts must be punished accordingly.
“Those who have undertaken a mayhem of perpetuation genocide must be brought to book,” he said.
Last year, South Africa approached the International Court of Justice (ICJ) asking it to stop Israel from killing and murdering people in Palestine.
South Africa has accused Israel of breaking the Genocide Convention with its counter-offensive on Gaza, which killed more than 23,000 Palestinians, predominantly women and children, over a three-month period.
This comes after Hamas operatives launched unexpected strikes on Israel from Gaza on October 7, killing 1,400 people and taking over 200 prisoners.
Mbalula hoped for the developments of the ceasefire to propel them to realise a long-lasting solution.
“We are among other nations within the United Nations that are proponents of the two-state solution,” he said.
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