Sinan Dogan and Seda Sevencan
12 April 2025•Update: 12 April 2025
BOGOTA/ISTANBUL
Colombian President Gustavo Petro urged US President Donald Trump to help secure an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, saying Friday that the efforts of the American president could save lives on both sides.
Petro directly tagged Trump in a post on X, emphasizing the need to stop the violence in the besieged Palestinian enclave.
"I see that President Trump has implemented various policies to manage global markets. But I believe the time has come to move beyond commodity prices and decide on the freedom of life on this planet,” Petro wrote.
"This is not called freedom of trade — such a thing doesn’t exist. This is called the freedom of human life. As the President of Colombia, I ask you to take action to save the lives of Palestinians and Israeli hostages. A ceasefire in Palestine can be achieved -- if you request it, I will support you in that endeavor,” he said.
Petro severed ties with Israel last May, citing attacks on the Palestinian population in Gaza.
He said March 30 that ties would be restored once Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leaves office.
The Israeli army renewed its assault on Gaza on March 18, shattering a Jan. 19 ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.
Nearly 51,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed in Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack. The military campaign has left the enclave in ruins and rendered it almost uninhabitable.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
