Tuesday's virtual meeting will be hosted by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the hope of drawing up a common response to the Israel - Hamas conflict, now entering its seventh week.

"Leaders of the BRICS countries - Brazil, Russia, India and China - will gather [under the South African presidency] for an emergency virtual meeting, inviting the leaders of the [new] BRICS countries - Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates," the South African president's office said in a statement.

Hosted by President Cyril Ramaphosa, the members will discuss the situation in the Middle East, including the Gaza Strip.

South Africa said United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres would take part in the virtual meeting, and that it was expected to end with a joint statement.

The meeting comes days after leaders from the APEC group, which includes China and the United States, failed to agree on a joint response to the Israel - Hamas war.

Criticism

China's President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin have both confirmed that they will take part in the virtual summit.

Russia has maintained historically close ties with both Israel and the Palestinians, and Putin has said Russia could play a mediating role.

Putin has criticised the West for allegedly stoking tensions in the region and Israel for its conduct in the conflict.

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China has historically been sympathetic to the Palestinians and supportive of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israel began attacking Gaza after Hamas fighters crossed the border on 7 October and went on to kill 1,200 Israelis while taking more than 200 others hostage.

On the Palestinian side, the Gaza health ministry has reported a death toll of more than 13,000.

'Violations of international criminal law'

The South African government on Friday requested an investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC) into the current war between Israel and Hamas, along with four other states.

On Monday it called on the ICC to issue an arrest warrant for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by mid-December.

Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said if the ICC did not do this, it would signal a "total failure" of global governance.

"The world cannot simply stand by and watch," she said.

Earlier this month, South Africa's International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor said during her address to members of Parliament that "the murder of children, of women and the aged by Israel is an act that should have resulted in the International Criminal Court issuing an immediate arrest warrant for key decision makers including Mr. Netanyahu, who is responsible for violations of international criminal law."

South Africa also said it would recall its diplomats stationed in Israel for consultations, to "signal" its "concern" about the "atrocities" committed, according to it, by Israel in Gaza.

A 'death zone' for children

The war has seen Israeli troops encircle Al-Shifa hospital in northern Gaza in recent days.

A humanitarian assessment team visited the site and saw signs of shelling and gunfire in what was described as a "death zone," by the UN World Health Organization on Sunday.

The WHO-led team, which included public health experts, logistics officers and security staff from various UN departments, was able to spend only an hour inside the hospital on Saturday due to security concerns.

The WHO said on Monday that 28 premature babies evacuated from Al-Shifa, had been taken to safety in Egypt through the Rafah crossing, revising down by one a number given by Egyptian media.

"All babies are fighting serious infections and continue needing health care," the WHO said, while the Israeli army said it had "helped facilitate" the transfer.

Meanwhile, Hamas's leader Ismail Haniyeh has told news agencies they are "close to reaching a truce agreement" which would pave the pave to the release of civilian hostages in exchange for Israel's release of jailed Palestinians, according to French news agency AFP and Al Jazeera.

(with newswires)

Originally published on RFI