Thursday, 16 January 2025.

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) acknowledges the recently announced ceasefire agreement in Gaza, brokered by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, as a small but critical reprieve in Israel’s genocidal campaign against the Palestinian people. While the agreement, set to last 42 days, allows for the release of prisoners on both sides and the return of displaced people to their decimated homes, it cannot erase the devastating humanitarian crisis inflicted on Gaza.

This agreement, received by Hamas as a victory against Israel’s “war of extermination,” will allow for desperately needed aid to reach Palestinian victims who have endured systematic starvation and medical blockades. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled over a year ago that withholding humanitarian aid in such a manner constitutes extermination—a verdict Israel has flagrantly ignored.

This blockade has left Gaza’s population, particularly women and children, vulnerable to deliberate and coordinated suffering.

The ceasefire, which begins with an initial six-week phase, includes the exchange of 33 hostages—women, children, and the elderly—for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. During this period, Israeli forces will retreat to the east allowing displaced Palestinians to begin returning to their homes, many of which have been reduced to rubble. Additionally, hundreds of aid trucks carrying essential supplies, including food, medical equipment, and fuel, will be permitted entry into Gaza each day.

Negotiations for the second phase, scheduled to start on the 16th day, will aim to secure the release of the remaining hostages and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. The final phase envisions the reconstruction of Gaza, a process that could take years, as well as the repatriation of any remaining hostages’ bodies. While these steps offer a glimpse of hope, they do not erase the catastrophic destruction inflicted upon Gaza or the genocidal intent behind Israel’s actions.

Since the beginning of Israel’s latest genocidal campaign in October 2023, over 100,000 Palestinians have been killed—many of them women and children— despite official figures downplaying the true scale of the carnage. The indiscriminate destruction of Gaza’s hospitals, schools, universities, and places of worship reveals the genocidal intent of Israel’s occupation. The aim is clear: to erase Palestinian history, identity, and existence from their ancestral land.

The EFF continues to stand resolutely with the Palestinian people in their legitimate campaign to reclaim their land and secure their right to life by any means necessary. We also continue to categorically reject the framing of their struggle as terrorism and instead recognise it as a battle for freedom against a colonial occupation that has endured for far too long.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) are war criminals. The crimes they have committed—mass killings, forced displacement, and systematic destruction of civilian infrastructure—amount to genocide. The warrant for Netanyahu’s arrest issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) must remain enforceable, and South Africa must lead by example by fully implementing the resolutions of the 6th National Assembly. This includes the expulsion of the Israeli Embassy and the severing of all diplomatic ties with Israel.

While the incoming US President Donald Trump, a country that has enabled the violent occupation of Palestine, and his envoy have sought to claim credit for this “epic” agreement, the facts on the ground tell a different story. Even as the ceasefire was being finalised, Israeli forces continued their bombardment yesterday, killing 82 civilians so far in Gaza. This hypocrisy highlights the ongoing violence that Palestinians face daily, even in moments of supposed reprieve.

The EFF salutes the  resilience of the Palestinian people and Hamas, and calls on the international community to hold Israel accountable for its crimes against humanity. Justice will only be achieved when the occupation ends, when Palestinians can live in peace and dignity in their homeland, and when war criminals face trial for their heinous actions.

ISSUED BY THE ECONOMIC FREEDOM FIGHTERS

Leigh-Ann Mathys (National Spokesperson) 082 304 7572

Thato Lebyane (Media Enquiries) 078 304 7572