Ghana worried about what’s happening in Palestine: Foreign minister

By Hassan Isilow

Ghana said Monday that it is worried about what is happening in Palestine and called on the UN Security Council and all countries involved in mediations to find a solution to end the conflict.

Speaking to national broadcaster SABC on the sidelines of the Second Session of the South Africa-Ghana Bi-National Commission in the capital Pretoria - Shirley Botchwey said although her country is a friend of Israel, it is worried about what is happening in Palestine.

Botchwey said that on Oct. 7 last year, her country expressed its condemnation when the Palestinian group Hamas fired rockets on Israel and took hostages.

But she added that her country has always stood for a two-state solution where Israel and Palestine should exist and live side by side.

“We are very worried about what’s happening because we see that innocent Palestinians have been caught up in this thing. They are suffering in Gaza, the West Bank. We are not happy with what’s happening.”

She called on the international community to ensure that a safe corridor for humanitarian aid is created to enable much needed aid to get into Gaza.

Botchwey said airdrops of humanitarian aid were good but are demeaning because it at times causes stampedes as many people struggle to obtain the aid.

She also called on Hamas to release the Israeli hostages it is holding.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack led by the Palestinian group Hamas in which nearly 1,200 people were killed.

More than 31,100 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and over 72,700 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 27 people have died of malnutrition and dehydration in Gaza due to the Israeli blockade.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.