BRICS countries called for a ceasefire in Gaza on Tuesday in an extraordinary summit arranged to deal with the crisis, according to reports.
The virtual summit was chaired by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, whose country has reported Israel to the International Criminal Court for war crimes and parliament voted to cut diplomatic ties with Israel.
After Tuesday’s meetings, BRICS leaders criticised the attacks on civilians in Palestine and Israel.
“We condemned any kind of individual or mass forcible transfer and deportation of Palestinians from their own land,” the group said in a chair’s summary of the meeting.
The leaders also “reiterated that the forced transfer and deportation of Palestinians, whether inside Gaza or to neighbouring countries, constitute grave breaches of the Geneva conventions and war crimes and violations under International Humanitarian Law.”
The meeting was attended by leaders of the existing BRICS members – Brazil, Russia, India, South Africa – as well as incoming members Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also joined the call.
Analysts said the BRICS intervention marked a new step in the alliance’s geopolitical journey. The meeting came amid reports that Israel and Hamas had agreed on a pause in the conflict. In a statement issued by their embassy on Wednesday, the State of Palestine expressed gratitude to BRICS leaders.
Read more here: BRICS condemns Israel war on Gaza in signal to the West
