Leaders of the African Union gathered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Saturday denounced and demanded an immediate cessation of Israel’s Gaza offensive.
The head of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki, claimed that Israel had “exterminated” the people of Gaza and called Israel’s offensive a “most flagrant” breach of international humanitarian law.
Alongside Faki at the event was Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh.
“Rest assured we strongly condemn these attacks that are unprecedented in the history of mankind,” Faki said to applause from delegates. “We want to reassure you of our solidarity with the people of Palestine.”
Azali Assoumani, president of the Comoros and the outgoing chairperson of the African Union, praised the case brought by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice while condemning “the genocide Israel is committing in Palestine under our nose.”
“The international community cannot close its eyes to the atrocities that are committed, that have not only created chaos in Palestine but also have disastrous consequences in the rest of the world,” Assoumani said.
Since Hamas launched its attack on Israel on October 7, when militants killed around 1,200 people—mostly civilians—and kidnapped about 250 more, a fifth of Gaza’s population is famished.
Israel vehemently disputes any genocide in Gaza, claiming that it is just targeting Hamas militants and that it takes all reasonable precautions to protect civilians. It claims that it is challenging to prevent civilian casualties because to Hamas’ strategy of integrating into civilian areas.
A dispute over Israel’s observer status at the continental body led to the summarily removal of an Israeli delegate from the plenary hall during the AU summit last year.
This year’s conference was opened with concern regarding wars and the recurrence of coups around the African continent. Tensions over Senegal’s delayed election and instability in the eastern Congo, Sudan, the Sahel, and Libya were mentioned by Faki. He demanded that “the spirit of African solidarity and Pan-Africanism” be revived in order to address the numerous issues that the 1.3 billion-person continent is currently confronting.
