The case, brought by South Africa at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, Netherlands, accuses Israel of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention, which was enacted after the mass murder of Jews during the Holocaust and requires all states to ensure that such crimes are never repeated.
Dutch police disperse a protest in front of the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands. Photo: AFP
South Africa has asked the court for a preliminary injunction requiring Israel to immediately stop its war in Gaza. The ICJ is expected to hear the full case in the coming months.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the move was “hypocritical,” adding: “We are fighting terrorists, we are fighting lies…”
Israel's war is still raging across Gaza, with the Palestinian Red Crescent reporting late Thursday that nine people were killed in an Israeli bombardment of a house in Rafah.
Since the start of the new year 2024, Israel has announced a new phase in the war, with the start of a withdrawal in the northern half of the Gaza Strip. However, fighting has flared up again in this area, causing many civilian deaths.
The US is also calling on its ally Israel to scale back the war, do more to protect civilians and maintain hope for a future independent Palestinian state.
This week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the region, meeting with Israeli and Palestinian officials as well as leaders of neighboring Arab states, to discuss a peaceful solution for Gaza. He said the establishment of a Palestinian state was the best way forward.
He was also informed that Egypt, along with Qatar, was mediating between Hamas and Israel to negotiate a ceasefire and the release of 130 Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza.
Bui Huy (according to Reuters, AFP, AP)
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