The Minority in Parliament has called on the Israeli Ambassador to Ghana, Roey Gilead, to take steps to ensure the safety of Ghanaian citizens and peacekeepers stationed in areas affected by the ongoing tensions in the Middle East.

The appeal follows recent developments in Lebanon, where Ghanaian troops serving under a United Nations peacekeeping mission came under attack.

Members of the Minority emphasised the need for strict adherence to international humanitarian law to guarantee the protection of both civilians and peacekeepers in conflict zones.

Speaking to journalists after a meeting between the Israeli Ambassador and members of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Committees on Wednesday, March 11, the Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Abu Jinapor, strongly condemned the attack on Ghanaian soldiers deployed in Lebanon.

“As you know, there was an attack on Ghanaian peacekeepers in Lebanon, and this is something that we condemn unreservedly, and we think it’s most unfortunate. Ghana has historically been seen as the peace centre when it comes to peacekeeping across the world. Ghana is a strong country when it comes to peacekeeping, which has resulted in the flag of Ghana flying very high anywhere in the world,” he said.

He stressed that Ghanaian peacekeepers are deployed abroad to perform a vital role in maintaining peace and stability and therefore must not be targeted.

“And so for Ghanaian peacekeepers to be attacked in Lebanon is most unfortunate. These are our compatriots who are there to carry out a sacred duty of keeping peace, and they should be the last people to be attacked. Measures should be put in place to ensure that civilians and peacekeepers are protected wherever they find themselves. Ghanaian peacekeepers who are there to keep peace should be given all the protection under international humanitarian law,” he added.

Mr Jinapor further noted that international humanitarian law requires the protection of civilians and peacekeepers even during active conflict.

His comments follow an incident in which a missile struck a Ghanaian peacekeeping position in southern Lebanon, leaving five soldiers critically injured.

The Ghana Armed Forces confirmed that the attack occurred on the evening of Friday, March 6, when the Ghanaian Battalion Headquarters serving under the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was hit by two missile strikes between 17:45 and 17:52 local time.