South African President: After oppression, Palestinians are facing genocide

President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa on Thursday sent greetings and blessings to Muslims on the occasion of Idul Fitr but he expressed his concern about the ongoing war of Israel against Palestine which has killed almost 33,500 Palestinians in Gaza since October 7, 2023.

In a speech to hundreds of Muslims gathered for Idul Fitr prayers at a stadium in Laudium, near the capital Pretoria, Ramaphosa said: "After more than seven decades of discrimination, oppression and apartheid, the Palestinian people of Gaza are now facing genocide."

Muslims in South Africa celebrated Idul-Fitr on Thursday, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

Ramaphosa said Muslims in conflict-affected countries such as Yemen, Sudan and Palestine experienced pain and suffering during the holy month due to conflicts.

The South African leader continued by questioning: " What is the indiscriminate attack on civilians from land, sea and air if not genocide?"

Ramaphosa also questioned, "What is forcing people to move from their homes and causing deliberate starvation to all people if not genocide?.

He has said that in the occupied Palestinian lands and the Gaza Strip, men, women and children are driven from their homes, bombed, tortured, forced to starve and killed. Ramaphosa has said that when the world remembers the genocide in Rwanda, South Africa will not be a spectator of oppression and injustice.

South Africa, which for years has condemned Israel's atrocities against the Palestinians, filed a case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in late 2023, accusing Israel of failing to fulfill its commitments under the 1948 Genocide Convention.

In January, the court ordered Israel to take immediate and effective measures to facilitate the delivery of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip but did not order a ceasefire as requested by South Africa.

The illegal regime of Israel, which enjoys the full empire of the United States, has defied the order of the ICJ.