In a statement released Tuesday, South Africa's foreign minister denied supporting the militant organization in its battle with Israel and said the two spoke about getting aid into Gaza and other Palestinian territories.

According to a statement from the government's Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), South Africa's Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor received a request to call Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. The statement also stated that the call aligned with the nation's willingness to work with all parties to promote dialogue.

A previous statement from Hamas claimed that the organization had received a call for support from South Africa's foreign minister, according to local media News24. It said Pandor was not included in the Hamas statement.


"We do not have a bilateral relationship with Hamas... Support for the Palestinian struggle against occupation does not equate to support for Hamas," South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, said on X, the social media platform formerly Twitter.

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Long a proponent of peace in the area, South Africa compares the experience of Palestinians to that of its people under the apartheid system, which ended in 1994.

After Hamas gunmen massacred 1,300 people in a rampage across southern Israeli towns on October 7, the worst day in Israel's 75-year history, Israel swore to destroy the movement.

In retaliation, Israel launched several airstrikes on the Gaza Strip that resulted in the deaths of over 2,800 Palestinians. The enclave has also come under blockade and may soon run out of food, fuel, and medical supplies.