Trade union Cosatu on Saturday called the deadly Israeli air raids into Gaza "criminal".

"TV footage clearly shows wounded children being carried to hospital ... again civilians are bearing the brunt of the bombings and shootings," said Congress of South African Trade Union spokesperson, Patrick Craven.

Craven said that Cosatu supported Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas's call for international intervention, and it called for swift action.

"Cosatu reiterates its call for the government of South Africa to break diplomatic ties with Apartheid Israel and institute sanctions against it," said Craven.

Cosatu was joined in its criticism of South Africa's official policy toward Israel, by South African Islamic groups, Media Review Network (MRN) and the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC).

'Balanced approach'

In a statement, chairperson of the MRN Iqbal Jassat and the president of the MJC Ighsan Hendricks condemned what they derisively described as the South African government's "so-called 'balanced approach'".

"Such faulty policies have allowed Israel to intensify it's illegal policies of collective punishment," they said.

In the statement, they urged South Africa to change its policy with regards to Israel and Palestine.

"[South Africa] needs to heed lessons of the struggle against apartheid in order to drastically review its policies. Its untenable to proclaim support for Palestinian rights while the Israeli flag flutters in the capital, Pretoria," said Hendricks and Jassat.

Cosatu also urged South Africans to "intensify" their boycott of Israeli goods.

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