Israel says Bolivia cutting ties is 'surrender to terrorism'

Israel on Wednesday slammed Bolivia's decision to cut diplomatic ties over its war in Gaza after a deadly Hamas attack as a capitulation to "terror".

"The government of Bolivia's decision to cut diplomatic ties with Israel is a surrender to terrorism and to the Ayatollah's regime in Iran," foreign ministry spokesman Lior Haiat said in a statement.

"By taking this step, the Bolivian government is aligning itself with the Hamas terrorist organisation."


Bolivia said Tuesday it was severing relations with Israel over "the aggressive and disproportionate Israeli military offensive" in the Gaza Strip.

Two other Latin American countries -- Colombia and Chile -- have recalled their ambassadors to Israel over the ongoing war and its mounting humanitarian crisis.

Israel has deployed ground troops into the Gaza Strip in recent days to "crush" the Palestinian militant group Hamas after its fighters killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians, including women, children and the elderly, in an October 7 attack.

Since then, Israel has hit back with an unrelenting air and artillery bombardment, which the health ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza says has killed more than 8,500 Palestinians, two-thirds of them women and children.