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Nov. 1 (UPI) -- The Bolivian government has announced that it has cut diplomatic ties with Israel over its war with Hamas. It is the first country to sever ties with the country since the start of the war on Oct. 7. María Nela Prada, a minister in President Luis Arce's administration, announced the decision at a press conference.
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"We demand an end to the attacks on the Gaza Strip which have so far claimed thousands of civilian lives and caused the forced displacement of Palestinians," Prada said.
The decision represents a "condemnation of the aggressive and disproportionate Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip and its threat to international peace and security," according to the country's deputy foreign minister, Freddy Mamani.
Bolivia's former president Evo Morales called for the country to sever ties with Israel, citing the "horrific situation" Palestinian people are facing.
In a social media post Oct. 20, Morales demanded the Bolivian government sever ties with Israel and declare it a terrorist state.
According to Gaza health authorities, 8,525 people have been killed in Israel's retaliatory strikes since Oct. 7, but the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says the death toll includes 3,500 children.
The U.S. said on Tuesday that 66 trucks had been able to deliver aid inside Gaza, but charities say that will not be enough.
United Nations Relief and Works Agency commissioner-general, Philippe Lazzarini said that prior to the war, about 500 trucks would enter Gaza each day.
The presidents of Colombia and Brazil have also been critical of Israeli actions in Gaza, which Israeli officials claim is retaliation for the unprovoked, surprise attacks on Israel.
Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has called for a ceasefire. "We are seeing, for the first time, a war in which the majority of those killed are children," he said in a social media post. "Stop! For the love of God, stop!"
