Israel has announced that it will be fighting South Africa’s assertion that it is committing “genocidal acts in Gaza” at the International Court of Justice –ICJ. This news was revealed by an Israeli spokesman.
Recall that South Africa had filed the lawsuit at the ICJ on Friday, to Israel’s fury.
South Africa is a dedicated supporter of the Palestinians and the nation has repeatedly criticised Israel since the beginning of the war with Gaza on 7 October, 2023.
According to Gaza’s health ministry–which is being run by the Islamist group Hamas has reported that over 22,000 Palestinians – of which majority are civilians – have been killed in Israeli strikes since the war began.
Israel had declared war on Hamas after the group led a tremendous attack on communities inside Israel, killing about 1,200 people in the process, most of which were civilians, and then taking some 240 others back to Gaza as hostages.
The South African government’s lawyers are preparing for the case to be heard on the 11th and 12th January, according to Clayson Monyela, a spokes representative for South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation, on X.
The ICJ, which is located in the Hague in the Netherlands, is the United Nation’s highest court. It resolves disputes between states and gives its advisory opinions on international legal issues.
It has no power to bring prosecutions but its opinions does carry weight with the UN and other international legal bodies.
