South Africa accused Israel of “genocidal intent” on the first day of hearings at the International Court of Justice, also known as 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.”
In the case brought to the ICJ, South Africa demands an emergency suspension of Israel's military campaign in the Palestinian enclave.
“South Africa contends that Israel has transgressed Article Two of the (Genocide) Convention, committing acts that fall within the definition of genocide. The actions show a systematic pattern of conduct from which genocide can be inferred,” advocate Adila Hassim told the ICJ.
The 1948 Genocide Convention defines genocide as “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group”.
South Africa's team pointed to Israel's sustained bombing campaign which has killed more than 23,000 people in the small, densely populated Gaza Strip, according to Gaza health authorities. Israel has said South Africa's case is baseless. Israel launched all-out war after a cross-border rampage on October 7 by militants of Gaza's ruling Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in which Israel says 1,200 people were killed and 240 taken hostage back to Gaza.
The ICJ is hearing South Africa's arguments on Thursday and Israel's response to the allegations on Friday. It is expected to rule on possible emergency measures later this month. The court will not rule at that time on the genocide allegations — those proceedings could take years.
With the politically charged case attracting global attention, supporters of both sides of the case planned marches and rallies in The Hague.
Thousands of pro-Israel protesters marched in freezing temperatures in the city centre early on Thursday, carrying Israeli and Dutch flags and posters with images of people taken hostage by Hamas. Heavy police presence made sure the pro-Israel march and a pro-Palestinian march were kept separate.
Reuters
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