The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) has confirmed that they have been informed that two South Africans have died in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine.
“We are in the process of confirming the identity of the deceased. At this stage, it would appear that one of the deceased has an Israeli ID number, so the victim may have had dual citizenship,” Clayson Monyela, spokesperson for Dirco, told RNews.
Israel has been embroiled in a war with Palestine since the weekend after the Hamas terrorist group launched a surprise attack on Israel. More than 1,200 people in Israel and 1,500 in Gaza have died in the conflict in the past week.
Several South Africans are apparently also caught up in the conflict.
“We would like to express our condolences to the family and loved ones of the victims,” said Monyela. “Our consulates in Tel Aviv (in Israel) and Ramallah (in Palestine) are currently offering support to the families of the South African citizens in Israel.”
RNews reported earlier this week that South Africans in a town hundreds of kilometers from the fighting are opening their homes to refugees from border towns. One of these South Africans said again on Friday that refugees are still arriving in his town, although it is decreasing. Residents of this town, whose name is withheld for security reasons, are not currently experiencing any fighting first hand.
