Honduras recalls ambassador to Israel for 'consultations'

Honduras said on Friday it was recalling its ambassador to Israel for "consultations" over Israel's "violations of international humanitarian law in the Gaza Strip".

It joins other Latin American countries including Bolivia, Chile and Colombia, which have all taken significant steps to diplomatically distance themselves from Israel.

On Tuesday, Bolivia’s leftist government severed all ties with Israel in response to the ongoing bombardments in Gaza, which have killed over 9,227 Palestinians – with over 3,826 children among the casualties – in response to Hamas’ deadly surprise attack on Israel on 7 October. At least 1,400 Israelis were killed during the attacks and around 242 taken hostage.

Bolivia is the first Latin American country to cut ties with Israel. 

Speaking at a press conference held in the Bolivian capital of La Paz, Freddy Mamani, Bolivia’s deputy foreign minister, said the decision to cut ties came in “repudiation and condemnation of the aggressive and disproportionate Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip and its threat to international peace and security”.

Israel’s offensive on Gaza has drawn widespread criticism for its potential violation of international humanitarian law, with the UN Human Rights Office stating that the recent attacks on the Jabalia refugee camp may amount to “war crimes”.

Read more: Latin America distances itself from the US and Israel over Gaza assault