South Africa denounces Israel for "genocide" before the International Court of Justice.

Judges at the International Court of Justice listen to South Africa's presentation on January 11, the first of two days of proceedings related to allegations of Israeli genocide in Gaza (Photo: ANP/AFP).

On the first day of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) proceedings in the case, South Africa stated that the Israeli air and ground attacks were aimed at "destroying the population" in Gaza.

"The intention to destroy Gaza was fostered at the highest levels of the state," Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, representing the South African Supreme Court, told the court.

"That was clearly demonstrated by the way this military attack was conducted," Ngcukaitobi said on January 11.

Israel will present its arguments before the ICJ on January 12th. The country has consistently and strongly rejected South Africa's genocide accusations, deeming them unfounded.

Israel launched an all-out war after Hamas forces attacked on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people, according to Israeli figures.

The 1948 Genocide Convention, enacted after the Nazi massacre of Jews, defines genocide as "acts taken with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group."

The bodies of family members killed in an Israeli bombing are laid to rest at a hospital in Rafah, Gaza Strip, on January 10 (Photo: AFP).

South Africa has long maintained a supportive stance towards the Palestinians. The relationship between the two sides was formed when the Palestine Liberation Organization supported the African National Congress's struggle against the apartheid regime.

Concluding its presentation, South Africa requested the court to issue emergency measures to stop the war.

The ICJ is expected to decide on emergency measures later this month, but will not yet issue a ruling on the genocide allegations. The process of prosecuting genocide allegations can take years.

The ICJ's rulings are final and unappealable, but the court does not have jurisdiction to enforce them.

Israel insists it is targeting Hamas, not the Palestinian people.

In response to the lawsuit, the Israeli Foreign Ministry accused South Africa of "hypocrisy".

According to court documents, South Africa also pointed out that Israel had failed to provide food, water, medicine, and other essential support to Gaza, where Hamas came to power in 2007.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/nam-phi-chi-trich-israel-diet-chung-truoc-toa-cong-ly-quoc-te-20240111210225600.htm