Grapevine

Nicaragua breaks diplomatic ties with Israel amid ongoing Gaza war

In a largely symbolic move, the Ortega government condemned Israel’s leaders as ‘fascist’ and ‘genocidal’ over Gaza war.

The government of Nicaragua has announced that it will break diplomatic relations with Israel, adding to the country’s growing isolation on the global stage amid its war in Gaza.

Nicaraguan Vice President Rosario Murillo announced the move to state media on Friday after the country’s Congress passed a resolution calling for action after the one-year anniversary of the Gaza war on October 7.

Murillo, who is President Daniel Ortega’s wife, said her husband instructed the government to “sever diplomatic relations with the fascist and genocidal government of Israel”.

The announcement is largely a symbolic one, since Israel does not have a resident ambassador in the Nicaraguan capital of Managua and relations between the two nations are nearly nonexistent.