THE HAGUE: South Africa accused Israel of “genocidal intent” on the first day of hearings at the World Court in its case against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
“Israel has a genocidal intent against the Palestinians in Gaza… that is evident from the way in which this military attack is being conducted,” Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, advocate of the High Court of South Africa, said.
“It is rooted in the belief that the enemy is not just Hamas, but is embedded in the fabric of Palestinian life in Gaza.”
A top UN court opened hearings on Thursday in a case in which South Africa demands an emergency suspension of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, where it says Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) will hear South Africa’s arguments on Thursday and Israel’s response to the allegations on Friday.
It is expected to rule on the emergency measures later this month. The court will not rule at that time on the genocide allegations — those proceedings could take years.
“Our opposition to the ongoing slaughter of the people of Gaza has driven us as a country to approach the ICJ,” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has said of the genocide accusations, rejected by Israel and its top backer, the United States.
With the politically-charged case attracting global attention, supporters of both sides of the case planned marches and rallies in The Hague.
