La Paz: Bolivia has snapped all diplomatic ties with Israel "in repudiation and condemnation of the aggressive and disproportionate military offensive" in the Gaza Strip started after Hamas launched Operation Al Aqsa Flood.
"Bolivia decided to break diplomatic relations with the state of Israel in repudiation and condemnation of the aggressive and disproportionate Israeli military offensive taking place in the Gaza Strip," Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Freddy Mamani said at a joint news conference on Tuesday with Minister of the Presidency Maraa Nela Prada.
Nela Prada also demanded immediate end to the Israeli military attacks in Gaza and the cessation of the siege of the Palestinian areas.
“Bolivia demands an end to the attacks in the Gaza Strip, which have so far caused thousands of civilian deaths and the forced displacement of Palestinians as well as the cessation of the blockade that prevents the entry of food, water and other essential elements for life, violating International Law and International Humanitarian Law in the treatment of the civilian population in armed conflicts”, she said.
The Bolivian government said the decision to sever ties came after President Luis Arce held a meeting with the Palestinian Ambassador in Bolivia, Mahmoud Elalwani Monday, according to the official statement.
“During the meeting, the President expressed his solidarity for the suffering of the Palestinian people, especially girls and boys, who have the right to live in peace, rejecting the war crimes being committed in the Gaza Strip", the statement said.
Addressing the news conference, Nela Prada also said that "humanitarian aid will be sent from Bolivia to those affected in the Gaza Strip".
Meanwhile, as many as 8,300 people – over 70 percent of them children, have so far been killed in Gaza in the Israeli military offensive that began on October 07, 2023.
As many as 50 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli airstrike on Jabalia Refugee Camp last night. Among the dead on one of the largest refugee camps in Gaza, are also 19 family members of an Aljazeera broadcast engineer.
In a related development, Colombia and Chile have recalled their ambassadors for consultations, condemning the deaths of civilians in Gaza and calling for a ceasefire.
“If Israel does not stop the massacre of the Palestinian people, we cannot be there", President Gustavo Petro declared.
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