Bolivia severs diplomatic ties with Israel over Gaza war

Bolivia has cut diplomatic ties with Israel over what it describes as "aggressive and disproportionate" military actions in Gaza, reports BBC.

Deputy Foreign Minister Freddy Mamani said Bolivia called for a ceasefire and would be supplying the blockaded Gaza Strip with aid.

It is the first Latin American country to cut ties with Israel over the war.

The presidents of Colombia and Brazil have also both criticised the actions of Israel in Gaza.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro called for Israel's ambassador to leave the country before stepping back the comments.

Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva urged a ceasefire. Following reports of a new Israeli air strike in Gaza, Lula said on X: "We are seeing, for the first time, a war in which the majority of those killed are children... Stop! For the love of God, stop!"

The majority of the 8,500 war deaths reported by the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza are of adults but they include 3,500 children.

Israel has been bombing Gaza since the Hamas attack of 7 October that killed 1,400 people and saw at least 239 people taken hostage.

Mr Mamani said the government had taken the decision "in repudiation and condemnation of the aggressive and disproportionate Israeli military offensive taking place in the Gaza Strip".

Mr Mamani called for a ceasefire and said the country wanted an end to Israel's blockade that was preventing "the entry of food, water and other essential elements for life."

The US said on Tuesday that 66 trucks had been able to deliver aid inside Gaza, but charities warn that it will not be enough.

United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) commissioner-general, Philippe Lazzarini said that prior to the war, about 500 trucks would enter Gaza each day.

Bolivia only restored diplomatic relations with Israel in 2019. It had previously cut ties with the country in 2009 under President Evo Morales, again to protest Israel's actions in Gaza.

On Monday, Bolivia's President Luis Arce described Israel's actions in Gaza as "war crimes" on X after meeting with the Palestinian ambassador to Bolivia, Mahmoud Elalwani.