Honduras won't send envoy to Israel over its Gaza war conduct

United Nations, New York — Honduras will not return its envoy to Israel until there is a ceasefire in Tel Aviv's war on besieged Gaza, the Central American country's top diplomat has told TRT World in an exclusive interview.

"We haven't returned our ambassador because it is position to show that we are concerned about the situation and that the dialogue and peace and the ceasefire must take place," Foreign Minister Enrique Reina told TRT World on the sidelines of UNGA in New York.

Reina said his country is concerned about the situation in the Palestinian enclave and shared his worry over the rising death toll of Palestinians due to the Israeli invasion since October last year.

"We are very concerned about the situation of the Palestinian people, frankly, and that we have unfortunately more than 40,000 killed," he said.

Many experts and studies show that the Palestinian death toll cited by the Palestinian officials is a conservative estimate, and the actual death toll could be around 200,000 or more.

"Serious humanitarian condition"

In November 2023, Honduras' president recalled her country's ambassador to Israel, Roberto Martinez, for consultations as it condemned what it called genocide in besieged Gaza and other serious violations of international law.

President Xiomara Castro had said she recalled the ambassador in light of "the serious humanitarian condition the civilian Palestinian population is suffering in the Gaza Strip."

Many Latin American countries have slammed Israel for its war on Gaza.

Brazil and Colombia have endorsed South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

Mexico and Chile have joined forces to support the probe of the International Criminal Court into possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, occupied West Bank, occupied East Jerusalem, and Israel.