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<h1>Which countries have criticised Israeli attacks on Gaza?</h1><p class="gmail-article__subhead gmail-css-1wt8oh6"><font size="1"><a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/15/which-countries-have-criticised-israeli-attacks-on-gaza">https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/15/which-countries-have-criticised-israeli-attacks-on-gaza</a></font></p><p class="gmail-article__subhead gmail-css-1wt8oh6"><em>From South Africa to Norway, the Middle East to Southeast Asia, calls for an end to the siege of Gaza are growing.</em></p><div class="gmail-responsive-image"><img src="https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/2023-10-09T104911Z_982946338_RC2YO3A2ETMV_RTRMADP_3_ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-SAFRICA-1697377346.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80" alt="A boy holds a Palestinian flag during a demonstration to express support for the people of Palestine, in Cape Town, South Africa, October 9, 2023. REUTERS/Esa Alexander" width="392" height="261" style="margin-right: 25px;"></div>A
boy holds a Palestinian flag during a demonstration to express support
for the people of Palestine, in Cape Town, South Africa, October 9, 2023
[Esa Alexander/Reuters]<div class="gmail-article-info-block gmail-css-ti04u9"><div class="gmail-article-b-l" style="border-color:rgb(250,144,0)"><div class="gmail-article-dates" style="border-color:rgb(250,144,0)"><div class="gmail-date-simple gmail-css-1yjq2zp"><span class="gmail-screen-reader-text">Published On 15 Oct 2023</span><span aria-hidden="true">15 Oct 2023</span></div></div></div><div class="gmail-social-share-buttons"><a class="gmail-social-share-button" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-label="Share on Facebook" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Faje.io%2Fx9p3x6"></a></div></div><a class="gmail-social-share-button" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-label="Share on Twitter" href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Which%20countries%20have%20criticised%20Israeli%20attacks%20on%20Gaza%3F&source=sharethiscom&related=sharethis&via=AJEnglish&url=https%3A%2F%2Faje.io%2Fx9p3x6"></a><div class="gmail-article-info-block gmail-css-ti04u9"><div class="gmail-social-share-buttons"></div></div><div class="gmail-wysiwyg gmail-wysiwyg--all-content gmail-css-ibbk12"><p id="gmail-following-hamas">Following Hamas’s unprecedented <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/7/what-happened-in-israel-a-breakdown-of-how-the-hamas-attack-unfolded">surprise attack</a> on Israel more than a week ago, much of the international community rushed to <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/7/we-are-at-war-reactions-to-palestinian-hamas-surprise-attack-in-israel">voice its concern</a> about the escalation in tensions.</p>
<p>However, as Israel continues to <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/12/israel-says-6000-bombs-dropped-on-gaza-as-war-with-hamas-nears-a-week">bomb Gaza</a>
and attack Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, several governments
have started to turn critical of Israel’s actions — some more directly
than others.</p>
<p>Here is a list of countries that have called on Israel to stop its aggression and move towards a ceasefire.</p>
<h2 id="gmail-algeria">Algeria</h2>
<p>The Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed deep concern
over Israel’s attacks on Gaza, accusing it of violating international
humanitarian law.</p>
<p>Algeria has also called for immediate international intervention to
protect the Palestinian people, whose rights it has described as central
to the resolution of the conflict.</p>
<h2 id="gmail-african-union">African Union</h2>
<p>The Chairperson of the African Union Moussa Faki Mahamat has
highlighted the denial of the fundamental rights of the Palestinian
people as the main cause of the current tensions. The AU appealed to
both parties to end military hostilities and return to the negotiating
table.</p>
<h2 id="gmail-belize">Belize</h2>
<p>Belize has decried the hostilities between Hamas and Israel and
called for immediate de-escalation while supporting a Palestinian state
with East Jerusalem as its capital and demanding the right of return for
Palestinians displaced from their ancestral homeland.</p>
<h2 id="gmail-brazil">Brazil</h2>
<p>Brazil’s Foreign Minister Mauro Luiz Iecker Vieira <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZxZPDmrEDI">said</a>
on Friday that his country has “received with dismay the news that
Israeli forces called for all civilians — more than one million — living
in northern Gaza to leave within 24 hours”.</p>
<p>Veira, who was speaking in New York after a United Nations Security
Council meeting, referred to the UN’s assessment that such a large-scale
move of people could lead to “unprecedented levels of misery” for
civilians while calling for an end to violence on both sides.</p>
<h2 id="gmail-colombia">Colombia</h2>
<p>Colombian President Gustavo Petro emphasised the need for Israel and
Palestine to come to the negotiation table and work towards a two-state
solution. He drew historical comparisons between the situation in Gaza
and past atrocities.</p><div id="gmail-article-newsletter-slot"><div class="gmail-sib-newsletter-form gmail-general-style" aria-label="Newsletter signup Widget"><div class="gmail-sib-form-container"><div class="gmail-sib-container--large gmail-sib-container--horizontal"><p>In a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, he said: “Gaza today appears as <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2023/10/12/photos-show-scale-of-the-destruction-of-israeli-air-attacks-on-gaza">destroyed</a>
or more so than the Warsaw ghetto after it was destroyed by Nazi
barbarity in response to the Jewish and socialist insurrection in that
concentration camp.”</p>
<h2 id="gmail-cuba">Cuba</h2>
<p>Cuba has condemned the violence in Israel and Palestine, attributing it to the long-standing violation of Palestinian rights.</p>
<h2 id="gmail-indonesia">Indonesia</h2>
<p>Indonesia has urged an immediate end to violence to prevent further
casualties, also arguing that the occupation of Palestinian territories
by Israel was the root cause of the conflict as the occupation.</p>
<h2 id="gmail-iraq">Iraq</h2>
<p>Iraq has likewise called the attacks on Gaza a continuation of the oppression of Palestinians under Israel’s occupation.</p>
<h2 id="gmail-iran">Iran</h2>
<p>Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani has described
Palestinian resistance as a natural reaction to Israel’s provocations.</p>
<h2 id="gmail-ireland">Ireland</h2>
<p>Ireland’s Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has condemned Israel’s actions
of cutting off power, fuel supplies and water, calling it a <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2023/10/12/is-israeli-bombing-of-gaza-a-violation-of-international-laws">violation of international humanitarian law</a> and collective punishment.</p>
<h2 id="gmail-kuwait">Kuwait</h2>
<p>Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed concern over the
escalation in Gaza, calling on the international community to stop the
violence, protect the Palestinian people, and end Israel’s provocations.
It has warned that the continuation of violence without deterrence
would undermine peace efforts and the prospects of a two-state solution.</p>
<h2 id="gmail-morocco">Morocco</h2>
<p>Morocco, which is moving towards full diplomatic ties with Israel
under the Abraham Accords, has voiced deep concern over the situation in
Gaza and called for an immediate cessation of violence and a return to
calm. The country emphasised the importance of dialogue and negotiations
as the way to reach a two-state solution.</p>
<p>In an Arab League session, Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs
Nasser Bourita, emphasised Morocco’s “full and unwavering support” for
Palestine.</p>
<h2 id="gmail-malaysia">Malaysia</h2>
<p>Malaysia has called for an end to the violence in the <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/14/a-guide-to-the-gaza-strip">Gaza Strip</a>,
highlighting the prolonged occupation and suffering of the Palestinian
people, and the desecration of Al-Aqsa Mosque as the root cause of the
conflict.</p>
<h2 id="gmail-maldives">Maldives</h2>
<p>The Maldivian government has expressed concern about the escalating
violence in the Gaza Strip and reiterated its solidarity with the
Palestinian people.</p>
<p>Its government has said that lasting peace in the Middle East can
only be achieved through a two-state solution based on pre-1967 borders,
with East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.</p>
<h2 id="gmail-norway">Norway</h2>
<p>Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt has criticised the <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/9/israel-announces-total-blockade-on-gaza">total blockade of Gaza</a> as unacceptable and emphasised that Israel’s right to self-defence must adhere to international law.</p>
<p>“The establishment of a full blockade, including on access to
electricity, water, food, and other goods that are indispensable for the
survival of the civilian population in Gaza, is unacceptable,”
Huitfeldt said in a statement.</p>
<p>“The scale of destruction in Gaza is enormous. A large number of
civilians have been killed. Given a full blockade by Israel, closed
border crossings, and continued Israeli attacks, I fear that the
civilian population in Gaza will face even greater hardship in the days
to come,” she added.</p>
<h2 id="gmail-oman">Oman</h2>
<p>Oman’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed concern over the
ongoing escalation between Palestinians and Israelis, emphasising the
need for both parties to exercise restraint, and calling for
international intervention to stop the escalation.</p>
<p>Stressing the importance of adhering to international law, Oman
highlighted the strategic necessity of finding a just, comprehensive,
and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue based on the two-state
solution.</p>
<h2 id="gmail-qatar">Qatar</h2>
<p>Qatar has called for all parties to de-escalate and exercise
restraint amid the escalating situation in Gaza, holding Israel
responsible for the escalation due to its violations of Palestinian
rights, particularly incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque.</p>
<p>The Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged the international community to
compel Israel to respect international law and the historical rights of
the Palestinian people and prevent further violence against Palestinian
civilians. Qatar has reiterated its firm position in support of the
Palestinian cause, including the establishment of an independent state
based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.</p>
<h2 id="gmail-russia">Russia</h2>
<p>Russia stressed that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict cannot be
resolved by force but through political and diplomatic means. Russia
called for an immediate ceasefire, renouncing violence, and a
negotiation process with international community assistance to establish
lasting peace in the Middle East.</p>
<p>President Vladimir Putin has emphasised the “creation of an
independent Palestine state with East Jerusalem as its capital” to
resolve the issue.</p>
<p>Moscow has also refused to list Hamas as a “terrorist” organisation
following similar steps taken by France and the European Union earlier
this week.</p>
<h2 id="gmail-syria">Syria</h2>
<p>Syria has praised the Palestinian resistance factions behind last the
October 7 attack, while criticising Israel’s occupation and siege.</p>
<h2 id="gmail-south-africa">South Africa</h2>
<p>South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Saturday <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHT1IZtsd2s">underscored</a>
his country’s historic support for the “just struggle” of Palestinians
in a public statement, standing with a keffiyeh around his shoulders in
front of people holding aloft small Palestinian flags.</p>
<p>“All of us standing here pledge our solidarity with the people of Palestine,” he said.</p>
<p>He described Israel as an “oppressive regime” and pointed to what
many human rights groups have described as Israel’s apartheid-like
policies towards Palestinians.</p>
<h2 id="gmail-venezuela">Venezuela</h2>
<p>The Government of Venezuela voiced its anxiety concerning the
situation in the Gaza Strip and called for the end of violence
throughout Palestinian territory through direct dialogue and compliance
with UN Security Council resolution 2334. Venezuela urged the United
Nations to fulfil its role as a guarantor of international peace and
legality.</p>
</div></div></div></div></div><div class="gmail-article-source">Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies</div>
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