BRICS Leaders Urge Israeli Withdrawal from Gaza, Condemn Strikes on Iran
Leaders of the BRICS group issued a sharp rebuke of recent air strikes on Iran and called for an immediate, unconditional ceasefire in Gaza, according to a joint declaration released at their summit on Sunday.
The 11-member bloc—comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and recent additions including Iran—did not name the United States or Israel directly but said the military actions violated international law.
The statement expressed deep concern over the targeting of civilian infrastructure and peaceful nuclear facilities in Iran.
“We condemn the military strikes against the Islamic Republic of Iran since 13 June 2025,” the bloc said, calling the attacks a breach of international norms.
The 12-day conflict
The condemnation follows Israeli air strikes that reportedly caused civilian casualties in multiple Iranian cities, including Tehran.
Iranian state media said 935 people were killed during the 12-day conflict with Israel, before a U.S.-brokered ceasefire took effect.
Turning to the ongoing war in Gaza, BRICS leaders demanded the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the enclave and all other occupied Palestinian territories.
They urged all sides to engage in good-faith negotiations toward a permanent ceasefire, warning of worsening humanitarian conditions as the conflict enters its 22nd month.
BRICS Summit 2025
Host nation Brazil took a notably firm tone, with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva accusing Israel of carrying out “genocide” in Gaza and condemning the use of hunger as a weapon of war.
He also denounced Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel, but said it did not justify the scale of the Israeli response.
The summit’s final statement coincided with the resumption of indirect talks between Israel and Hamas in Doha, as international pressure mounts to end a war that has killed more than 57,000 people—most of them women and children—and left Gaza’s population on the brink of famine.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to meet U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday, as Washington steps up efforts to secure a ceasefire agreement.
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