South Africa on Friday asked the International Court of Justice in the Hague to start legal proceedings against Israel on grounds it has violated its obligations under the Genocide Convention in its war on Hamas in Gaza.
“South Africa is gravely concerned with the plight of civilians caught in the present Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip due to the indiscriminate use of force and forcible removal of inhabitants,” the country’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation has said.
The department cites the concern of Gazan civilians caught in the crossfire, and said that “there are ongoing reports of international crimes, such as crimes against humanity and war crimes, as well as reports that acts meeting the threshold of genocide or related crimes as defined in the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide, are being committed.”
"South Africa is gravely concerned with the plight of civilians caught in the present Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip due to the indiscriminate use of force and forcible removal of inhabitants."
South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation
South Africa states that it has repeatedly condemned all forms of violence and attacks against civilians, and has called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire.
Israel's response to South Africa's accusation
The Israeli Foreign Ministry responded to South Africa’s request to initiate legal proceedings, stating that “Israel rejects with disgust South Africa’s blood libel in its application to the ICJ, Walla reported.
“South Africa’s claim lacks a factual and legal foundation and constitutes a vile and cheap exploitation of the court,” it said, adding that the country “cooperates with a terrorist organization that calls for the destruction of the State of Israel.
“The terrorist organization Hamas, which commits war crimes, crimes against humanity, and attempted to commit genocide on October 7, is responsible for the suffering of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip when it uses them as human shields and steals humanitarian aid from them,” the ministry emphasized.