South Africa leads global push for Gaza justice as Israeli general cancels visit
Retired Maj. Gen. Doron Almog, now head of the Jewish Agency for Israel, had been scheduled to meet the local Jewish community but called off the visit as a precaution to avoid potential "legal and diplomatic complications," according to reports.
A former Israeli army commander has cancelled a planned trip to South Africa over fears he could face arrest for alleged war crimes tied to Israel’s military operations in Gaza.
Retired Maj. Gen. Doron Almog, now head of the Jewish Agency for Israel, had been scheduled to meet the local Jewish community but called off the visit as a precaution to avoid potential "legal and diplomatic complications," according to reports.
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The move comes amid escalating tensions between Israel and South Africa.
Since Israel’s deadly response to Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack, Pretoria has emerged as one of Jerusalem’s most vocal critics, accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of committing genocide in Gaza.
Filed case at ICJ
In December 2024, South Africa filed a case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), claiming Israel’s offensive breached the UN Genocide Convention. The court later ordered Israel to prevent acts of genocide but stopped short of demanding a ceasefire.
South Africa also welcomed a November 2024 ruling by the International Criminal Court (ICC), which issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Pretoria has warned that Israeli officials or soldiers entering its territory could face arrest, although no such detentions have taken place.
Almog, who retired in 2003, previously served as head of the IDF Southern Command, overseeing operations in Gaza during the early 2000s. In 2005, a British court issued a warrant for his arrest over the demolition of Palestinian homes in Rafah, ruling it amounted to a war crime.
Flew back to Israel
Warned while still on a plane in London, Almog chose not to disembark and flew back to Israel. The warrant was later withdrawn, and the UK foreign secretary issued an apology.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian toll in Gaza continues to mount. The enclave’s Health Ministry reported Monday that at least 63,557 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023.
Hospitals received 98 bodies in the past 24 hours, while 404 people were treated for injuries, pushing the cumulative number of wounded to more than 160,660.
Among the latest victims were nine people, including three children, who died from hunger-related complications.
The deaths underline repeated warnings from aid agencies that famine conditions are rapidly worsening.
The United Nations and international aid groups have consistently accused Israel of blocking sufficient supplies of food, fuel, and medicine into Gaza, leaving hundreds of thousands at risk.
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