The South African government has said it will recall all diplomats from Israel to “signal” its concern over the situation in Gaza.Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, a minister in the president’s office, said on Monday that all diplomatic staff in Tel Aviv would be called to return to Pretoria for consultations, without providing further details.

Fighting has raged in the Gaza Strip for a month since Hamas fighters launched an unprecedented attack across the border into Israel on October 7.More than 1,400 people, most of them civilians, have been killed in Israel since the attack, during which Hamas took more than 240 people hostage.

In response, Israel has relentlessly bombarded Gaza and sent in ground troops. The health ministry in the Hamas-run Palestinian territory says close to 10,000 people have been killed. The casualties are mainly civilians and include several thousand children.