Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has called for end to the conflict in Gaza. File Picture: Ayanda Ndamane/African News Agency (ANA)
Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has called for members of the G20 to intervene in the conflict between Israel and Palestine and that only a peace agreement would be able to restore order.
Mapisa-Nqakula said there will be no winner in the conflict that is raging in the Middle East.
Israel has launched ferocious attacks on Gaza after Hamas launched a military operation at the weekend.
The conflict has killed hundreds of people on both sides.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for the cessation of hostilities.
The International Committee of the Red Cross has warned of a humanitarian crisis after Israel blockaded Gaza, leaving tens of thousands of people without food, fuel and electricity.
Mapisa-Nqakula, who is attending the G20 Parliamentary Speakers’ Summit in India, said there needs to be a solution to the conflict as more lives were lost every day.
“There is no winner in the war situation as we all suffer losses and casualties. This conflict has sadly resulted in the loss of innocent lives from both sides, in particular women and children,” said Mapisa-Nqakula.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has also called for the cessation of hostilities.
He said the only solution to peace was through negotiations.
He said countries that have gone through conflict understood the need for a negotiated settlement.
South Africa has maintained its support for a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine.
siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za
Politics