A month and a half after the start of the Israeli offensive against the Palestinian people, the BRICS countries called for an immediate end to Israel's aggression in the Gaza Strip.
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The bloc made this request in a statement issued at the end of its summit to analyze the Gaza crisis, convened by Cyril Ramaphosa, the president of South Africa, the country that will preside over the BRICS this year.
"Israel's actions clearly violate international law, including the United Nations Charter and the Geneva Convention," Ramaphosa said, calling for an "immediate and complete ceasefire" to the Israeli occupation army's siege of Gaza.
"The collective punishment of Palestinian civilians through the illegal use of force by Israel is a war crime. The deliberate denial of medicine, fuel, food and water to Gaza residents amounts to genocide," he added.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi called on countries to declare Israel a terrorist regime and adopt a binding resolution at the United Nations against the Zionist State.
“The Zionist regime's continued attacks on hospitals and medical centers, and religious sites, as well as the murder of women, children, doctors, and nurses, are all terrorist acts,” he said.
“It is necessary to declare this false regime as a terrorist regime and its Army as a terrorist organization,” added the Iranian president.
Russian President Vladimir Putin called for a "diplomatic solution" to Israel's escalation against the Gaza Strip: "Russia's position on the situation in Gaza is coherent and not opportunistic. Moscow insists on a diplomatic solution to the problem."
The Russian leader indicated that the "efforts of the United Nations to guarantee the peaceful coexistence of the two States, Israel and Palestine, have been sabotaged, so that more than one generation of Palestinians has grown up in an atmosphere of injustice."
Putin also blamed the United States for "monopolizing peace efforts in the Middle East", blocking positive interventions from other international actors.
During his speech, Brazilian President Lula da Silva asked for action to prevent the Zionist escalation from spreading to other countries:
"The contribution of the BRICS, in its new configuration, together with all the actors in favor of self-control and de-escalation of war, is valuable and essential. Brazil does not believe that peace is achieved only with the force of arms," he stressed.
"The high number of deaths, over 12,000 people, including 5,000 children, causes us great consternation. As the Secretary of the United Nations said, Gaza is becoming a children's cemetery," Lula said and once again defended the creation of the Palestinian State as a solution to the conflict.
"We cannot forget that the current war is also the result of decades of frustration and injustice, represented by the absence of a safe home for the Palestinian people," he stressed.
Finally, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for an end to Israel's "collective punishment" against Gaza, including forced displacement and deprivation of water and electricity.
"China believes that the conflict must end to prevent the death of more people. The international community must act with practical measures to prevent the conflict from spreading and endangering the stability of the region," he said and called for the opening of humanitarian corridors.