South African Minister Naledi Pandor proposes ‘powerful armed forces of the world’ accompany aid trucks into Gaza

South Africa's Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor called on allies of Israel to send their troops to escort aid trucks into Gaza and ensure the safe passage of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian in the besieged strip. Pandor’s statements came in a press conference with Danish Foreign Minister Lars Rasmussen in Pretoria. ‘Those powerful armed forces of the world should be instructed by their presidents or prime ministers that they will go to the Rafah border and their soldiers will escort all those trucks into Gaza and the West Bank,’ she said. ‘And since these are very close friends of Israel, surely they will be allowed safe passage. I can't imagine them being fired upon by the Israeli forces.’ More than 576,000 people in Gaza, a quarter of the population, are on the brink of famine, according to the UN. Israel has been accused of targeting aid deliveries in recent days, killing hundreds of desperate Palestinians.