MANAGUA – Nicaragua is breaking off diplomatic relations with Israel responding to what the Nicaraguan government called "brutal genocide" that Israel wages against the Palestinian people.

The move comes in response to a request by the Central American country's parliament, the National Assembly, which approved a declaration of condemnation during a special session held on the first anniversary of the Gaza conflict.

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The parliament condemned "the continued genocide, cruelty, extreme hatred and extermination carried out by the government of Israel”, the Nicaraguan government said in a statement.

The decision is "in permanent solidarity" with the people and government of Palestine, and adheres to international law and the conventions that govern interstate and inter-governmental relations, it said.

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The government headed by President Daniel Ortega also reiterated "the demand for compliance with all United Nations Resolutions" for a "free, sovereign, independent and self-determined" state of Palestine.

The statement also expressed "warm and consistent affection" for Israeli families, who "live through difficult times as a result of the excessive brutality and hatred of the government of Israel”.