LA PAZ
\nBolivia said on Tuesday it was severing diplomatic ties with Israel over its \u201cdisproportionate\u201d attacks in Gaza, as two other Latin American countries recalled their ambassadors over the mounting humanitarian crisis.
\nBolivia \u201chas decided to cut diplomatic relations with the State of Israel, in repudiation and condemnation of the aggressive and disproportionate Israeli military offensive being carried out in the Gaza Strip,\u201d deputy foreign minister Freddy Mamani told a press conference.
\nMinister of the Presidency Maria Nela Prada also announced the country was sending humanitarian aid to Gaza.
\n\u201cWe demand an end to the attacks\u201d in the Gaza Strip \u201cwhich have so far caused thousands of civilian deaths and the forced displacement of Palestinians,\u201d she said at the same press conference.
\nThe government of leftist Luis Arce is the first in Latin America to cut ties with Israel since October 7.
\nIsrael responded on Wednesday by slamming Bolivia\u2019s move as \u201ca surrender to terrorism.\u201d \u201cBy taking this step,\u201d Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Lior Haiat said in a statement.
\nBolivia only announced it was restoring ties with Israel in 2019, a decade after they were cut over previous attacks on the Gaza Strip.
\nHamas hailed Bolivia\u2019s decision on Tuesday, saying it \u201cholds it in high esteem\u201d while urging Arab countries who have normalised their relations with Israel to do the same.
\nThe leaders of both Colombia and Chile also spoke out on Tuesday against the Israeli offensive on Gazans. \u201cI have decided to recall our ambassador to Israel (Margarita Manjarrez) for consultation. If Israel does not stop the massacre of the Palestinian people, we cannot be there,\u201d Colombian President Gustavo Petro wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
\nChile, which has the largest Palestinian population outside the Arab world, said on Tuesday it was recalling its ambassador to Israel in protest against Israel\u2019s \u201cunacceptable violations of international humanitarian law.\u201d Brazil\u2019s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council, has urged a ceasefire.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LA PAZ Bolivia said on Tuesday it was severing diplomatic ties with Israel over its \u201cdisproportionate\u201d attacks in Gaza, as two other Latin American countries recalled their ambassadors over the mounting humanitarian crisis. Bolivia \u201chas decided to cut diplomatic relations with the State of Israel, in repudiation and condemnation of the aggressive and disproportionate Israeli […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":365680,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-365656","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n