South Africa has proposed the deployment of what it terms a "rapid protection force" by the United Nations to intervene in the Israel-Gaza conflict with the objective of safeguarding the civilian population from further bombardment.

In a strongly-worded statement, South Africa's international relations ministry has drawn attention to the tragic loss of children's lives in the ongoing conflict and has accused Israel of violating international law.

Israel, on the other hand, has justified its actions, including the bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza, by citing self-defense as a response to the killing of 1,400 people by Hamas on October 7th.

Additionally, 230 people were reported as kidnapped hostages during the conflict.

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza has reported that more than 8,000 people have lost their lives since the commencement of Israel's retaliatory bombing campaign.