South African Government condemns the targeted assassination of Hamas leader, Dr Ismail Haniyeh

1 August 2024

The Government of South Africa condemns the targeted assassination of Dr Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas who was killed by an airstrike in Tehran in the early hours of Wednesday, 31 July 2024.

The Government expresses its heartfelt condolences to the Haniyeh family as well as to the leadership and people of Palestine.

South Africa is concerned that the assassination of Dr Haniyeh and the continuous targeting of civilians in Gaza will further spiral the already tense situation in the entire region. South Africa urges that a thorough investigation be conducted and call on all parties to exercise the utmost restraint to avoid any acts that would escalate tensions in the particularly fragile region.

Responding to the assassination, the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, stressed that, “Such acts of extrajudicial killings violate international law and the principles of human rights, undermining global efforts to promote peace and stability in the Middle East. No country is above the law and all nations must respect international law, particularly the principles outlined in the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Any form of extrajudicial killing is a blatant violation of these principles and extra judicial killings of this nature have a destabilising effect. It is crucial that the perpetrators of such actions must be brought to justice”.

This assassination of Dr Haniyeh occurs in the context of the 9-month onslaught in Gaza where the ongoing bombardment of Gaza by Israel has resulted in thousands of civilian casualties, almost half of which are children, and created an unspeakable manmade humanitarian catastrophe. Dr Haniyeh was an integral member of the negotiating team, working with other countries to secure a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire and bring the War to Gaza to an end.

South Africa reiterates its view that the international community must act immediately to bring to an end the genocide in Gaza, end impunity, end the aggression meted against Palestinians and end the illegal occupation by Israel. It is our collective human duty to call for a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire. Nothing can justify the deliberate killings and injuring of civilians as an entire population endures destruction at a scale and speed without parallel in recent history.

Continuing Israeli occupation, destruction of infrastructure, collective punishment, and extrajudicial assassinations would make the realisation of a peaceful solution in the Middle East much more difficult to achieve.

Issued by Chrispin Phiri, Spokesperson for the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, 1 August 2024