ALBAWABA - Colombia appointed Jorge Iván Ospina, a former mayor of Cali and close to President Gustavo Petro, as its first ambassador to Palestine, the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Monday.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced in May 2024 the severing of diplomatic relations with Israel and accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of carrying out "genocide" in Gaza.
Nonetheless, the president announced the opening of a Colombian embassy in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.
Jorge Iván Ospina, following his appointment as "ambassador to Palestine," announced that Colombia will be providing medical treatment to "thousands" of Palestinians injured during the war in the Gaza Strip.
The ambassador further told the Associated Press (AP) that Colombia is paying special attention to treating kids wounded in Israeli airstrikes, without explaining how patients would be evacuated to Colombia or how Palestinian families could apply for treatment there.
He said, "The world cannot turn a blind eye to civilians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. People must not die of hunger. They must receive immediate medical care, and their rehabilitation must be ensured."
