Smoke rises from a house hit by an Israeli strike in Gaza City, on June 1, 2025, in this screen grab taken from a video.   (Photo via Reuters)

Santiago de Chile, June 3 (RHC)-- Chilean President Gabriel Boric has vowed to work to intensify pressure on Israel over its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed over 54,400 Palestinians, most of them women and children, since October 2023.

In a three-hour speech before Congress in the coastal city of Valparaiso, Boric added that he will introduce a bill to ban imports from illegally occupied territories, and will support Spain's efforts to impose an arms embargo on the Tel Aviv regime.  The Chilean president is known as a vocal critic of Israel.

Last week, the Chilean government declared its decision to withdraw all military, defense, and air force attachés from Tel Aviv as a form of protest against the ongoing war in Gaza.

A Chilean Foreign Ministry statement on May 28 said the decision is a result of “the extremely serious humanitarian situation currently experienced by the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip.”

At least 54,418 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and another 124,190 individuals injured in the brutal Israeli military onslaught on Gaza since October 7, 2023.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former minister of military affairs Yoav Gallant, citing 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 besieged coastal territory.

[ SOURCE:  REUTERS and NEWS AGENCIES ]