Government says there is “no movement” yet on its plan to evacuate about 16 South Africans stranded in the Middle East amid the Israel-Palestine conflict which has left thousands of people dead.
The majority of the South Africans who need to be evacuated are in the Gaza area, according to Zane Dangor, director general of the national Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco).
“We have got about 16 South Africans that we know about, that are on our list. Most of them are in the Gaza or the West Bank area. They are on the United Nations list and part of the UN evacuation strategy,” Dangor spoke to broadcaster Newzroom Afrika on Monday morning.
“At the moment there is no movement. None of the people that want to be evacuated can be moved, especially when they are in Gaza. We have got one individual that is in the Israeli side who needs double (South African and Israeli) documents and we are trying to sort that out. Both our missions in Ramallah and Tel Aviv are working that they provide consular services to South Africans and make sure that when there is space for any evacuation, that we can assist them.”
At least two South Africans have been killed in the ongoing conflict.
Dirco spokesperson Clayson Monyela on Friday morning confirmed that the two people had perished in the turmoil that has engulfed Gaza over the last few days.
Last week, IOL also reported that Dirco warned that Israel was violating international law by blockading Gaza and denying thousands of people basic services.
Dirco said the decision to cut off water, electricity, and fuel supplies has worsened the already dire situation on the ground.
The department said the latest call by Tel Aviv that 1.1 million people must relocate from northern Gaza to southern Gaza would lead to a humanitarian crisis.
It said the situation was already dire on the ground, with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and several aid agencies calling for Israel to stop the siege of Gaza.
The department said on Friday that Israel's actions were in conflict with international law and Geneva conventions.
IOL