South Africa Files Genocide Case Against Israel At ICC

According to the International Court of Justice, South Africa has filed an application to start proceedings over claims of genocide against Israel for its war against Hamas in Gaza.

Since October 7, over 21,507 individuals have died in Gaza, according to the Health Ministry, which is under the leadership of Hamas in the enclave. As per the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, at least 308 individuals who were taking refuge in UN shelters are among the deceased.

The UN and the world community have expressed outrage over Israel’s aerial bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza, which occurred in retaliation for Hamas’ deadly terror assaults and kidnapping spree on October 7. The invasion has left the heavily populated coastal strip in ruins.

As per the International Court of Justice, South Africa’s application accuses Israel of being “in violation of its obligations under the Genocide Convention” and maintains that Israel’s “acts and omissions… are genocidal in character, as they are committed with the requisite specific intent… to destroy Palestinians in Gaza.”

Through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Israel has rejected South Africa’s accusations and appeal to the World Court, stating that the country “is calling for the destruction of the State of Israel” and that its claim “lacks both a factual and a legal basis.”

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“Israel is committed to international law and acts in accordance with it, and directs its military efforts only against the Hamas terrorist organization and the other terrorist organizations cooperating with Hamas,” its statement said, adding that it has made “every effort to limit harm to the non-involved and to allow humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip.”

Earlier this month, US President Joe Biden declared that Israel was “indiscriminately bombing” Gaza. According to a US intelligence estimate, Israel has deployed roughly half of its air-to-ground weapons in Gaza during its conflict with Hamas, which are commonly referred to as “dumb bombs.” Unguided weapons can be more dangerous to civilians since they are less accurate.

South Africa’s appeal coincided with an announcement on Friday from Israel’s military that it is extending operations in the southern Gaza Strip, where residents were earlier advised to seek shelter. It further asserted that it had demolished one of Yahya Sinwar’s “hideout apartments” and a network of tunnels. CNN is unable to independently confirm the IDF’s assertions.

“South Africa is gravely concerned with the plight of civilians caught in the present Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip due to the indiscriminate use of force and forcible removal of inhabitants,” a statement released by South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation said on Friday.

“Furthermore, there are ongoing reports of international crimes, such as crimes against humanity and war crimes, being committed as well as reports that acts meeting the threshold of genocide or related crimes as defined in the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide, have been and may still be committed in the context of the ongoing massacres in Gaza,” it says.

“As a State Party to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, South Africa is under a treaty obligation to prevent genocide from occurring.”

The International Court of Justice (ICJ), sometimes referred to as the World Court and the premier court of the United Nations, has declared that both South Africa and Israel are parties to the Genocide Convention.