Brazil withdraws ambassador to Israel after Gaza war criticism

Both Brazil and Colombia have supported South Africa’s complaint against Israel before the International Court of Justice in The Hague, alleging the Gaza assault amounts to a breach of the Genocide Convention.

More than 36,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 81,000 wounded in Israel’s war on Gaza. The death toll in Israel from Hamas’s attacks on October 7, which sparked the war, is at least 1,139, and dozens of people are still being held captive in Gaza.

As the assault has dragged on, Israel has faced a growing global outcry as the focus turns to Rafah, the last city in Gaza to see a ground offensive. Israel is carrying out these attacks as it continues to impose severe restrictions on the entry of much-needed humanitarian aid.

Before the Rafah offensive began on May 7, the United Nations had warned that up to 1.4 million people were sheltering in the city. Since then, one million have fled the area, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has said.

The conflict has also revived a global push for Palestinians to have a state of their own.

Norway, Spain and Ireland on Tuesday formally recognised the State of Palestine, breaking with the long-held position of Western powers that a Palestinian state can only be declared as part of a negotiated peace with Israel.