South Africa demanded on Thursday that the United Nations’ highest court halt Israel’s offensive against Rafah, stating that the Israeli offensive “must be stopped” for the Palestinian people’s survival.
Vusimuzi Madonsela, South Africa’s ambassador to the Netherlands, petitioned for the judges’ judgment to order Israel to withdraw its army from the Gaza Strip immediately, completely, and unconditionally.
The International Court of Justice, also known as the World Court, began proceedings with a case from South Africa accusing Israel of genocide.
Friday will see the courtroom response of Israel, which has deemed without merit South Africa’s allegation that it is in violation of the 1949 Genocide Convention.
South Africa requested additional emergency protection measures for Rafah, where over a million Palestinians have sought refuge, last week.
Additionally, South Africa asked the court to order Israel to grant unrestricted access to Gaza for journalists, investigators, United Nations officials, and humanitarian aid organizations.
According to testimony from South Africa’s legal team in court, there have been tens of thousands of deaths of children and women, destruction of civilian infrastructure, and starvation of the population.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry stated on social media that “South Africa’s claims are factually and morally distorted” and that the Israeli military adheres to international law.
“The terrorists of Hamas are using South Africa in their attempt to exploit the International Court of Justice (ICJ),” the ministry said.
