People demonstrate in support of Palestinians in Cali, Colombia, on October 19, 2023. (Photo: Joaquin Sarmiento/AFP/Getty Images via CNN Newsource)
(CNN) — Colombia says it will break diplomatic relations with Israel on Thursday over its actions in Gaza.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro made the announcement at a rally at the Bolívar Square in Bogotá on Wednesday.
Petro said the Israeli government’s handling of the situation in Gaza is “genocidal.”
Israel launched its war on Hamas in Gaza after the terror group’s October 7 attack that left more than 1,200 dead and saw more than 200 people taken hostage.
Its devastating response has since killed more than 34,000 people, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
Israel’s minister of foreign affairs condemned Petro’s announcement and accused him of rewarding Hamas, saying he was siding with the “most despicable monsters known to humanity who burned babies, murdered children, raped women and kidnapped innocent civilians.”
Katz also called Petro a “hate-filled, anti-Semitic president,” but said relations between both countries would remain warm despite the president’s actions.
CNN has reached out to the Colombian Foreign Ministry for additional details.
Bolivia cut diplomatic ties with Israel last year, citing “crimes against humanity committed against the Palestinian people” in the wake of Israel’s war with Hamas.
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By Stefano Pozzebon and Michael Rios, CNN
The-CNN-Wire
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