Colombia to open embassy in Palestine - President Petro

ANKARA - Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced late Thursday that his country will open an embassy in the central city of Ramallah in Palestine.

Petro issued the statement after meeting with Palestinian Ambassador Raouf Al-Maliki.

"I have expressed my position to achieve an international peace conference that opens the way for two independent and free states," Anadolu Agency quoted the President as saying on X following the meeting.

"We will send a plane with humanitarian aid to the outskirts of Gaza waiting for a humanitarian corridor to open. Colombia will open its embassy in Ramallah, Palestine,” he added.

Colombian foreign ministry on Monday demanded the Israeli ambassador "apologise and leave” after he criticised President Petro for his comments on the Palestine-Israel conflict, according to media reports.

Petro shared several posts criticising the Israeli regime on social media since the conflict began on Oct 7.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire to ease the "epic human suffering.”

At least 3,785 people have lost their lives in the Gaza Strip since the start of the Israeli aggression on Oct 7, with over 12,000 individuals sustaining injuries, according to the latest update from Palestine's Health Ministry. - BERNAMA-ANADOLU