"The world should be ashamed," South Africa claims after accusing Israel of purposeful genocide of Palestinians and much more. Among accusations Israel was said to conduct an annihilation of Gaza, targeting population growth there, turning it into the largest concentration camp in the world.
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The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague on Thursday heard South African accusations that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza. The South African delegation was the first to present their case to the 17-judge panel aiming for an injunction to be issued by the court to stop Israel's fighting in Gaza.
Adila Hassim, advocate of South Africa's high court representing South Africa said Israel has deliberately imposed conditions on Gaza that cannot sustain life and are calculated to bring about physical destruction. She said Israel was deliberately starving the Gazan population and preventing medical care from those in need.
"South Africa contends that Israel has transgressed Article Two of the (Genocide) convention, committing acts that fall within the definition of genocide. The actions show a systematic pattern of conduct from which genocide can be inferred," Hassim said.
"Israel has a genocidal intent against the Palestinians in Gaza... that is evident from the way in which this military attack is being conducted," Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, advocate of the High Court of South Africa, said. "It is rooted in the belief that the enemy is not just Hamas, but is embedded in the fabric of Palestinian life in Gaza."
In its claims, South Africa accuses Israel of preventing Gaza's women from safe deliveries of babies, in an effort to reduce the Palestinian population in the Strip. It says children have been made to lose their limbs without anesthetics, be left without parents or family members, or be buried under rubble caused by air raids.
"The scale of destruction in Gaza, the targeting of family homes and civilians, the war being a war on children, all make clear that genocidal intent is both understood and has been put into practice. The articulated intent is the destruction of Palestinian life," said lawyer Tembeka Ngcukaitobi.
The accusers of Israel presented comments made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Deputy Knesset Speaker Nissim Vaturi who said Gaza should be wiped off the face of the earth. They also referred to comments made by Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu who said one option was to drop a nuclear bomb on Gaza. The intent to destroy the Strip was expressed in the highest levels of government, the South African delegation claimed.
Concluding their presentation, The South African delegation requested the ICJ issue an order for Israel to immediately suspend its military operations in and against Gaza.
Among other claims made to the court was that Gaza had become the largest concentration camp on earth and that Israel was preventing medicines from entering the Strip and reaching those in need.
Families of hostages held captive by Hamas in the Strip, demonstrated outside the court while pro-Palestinian demonstrators were expected to rally in the city while the court was in session.
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Families of hostages held captive by Hamas in Gaza protest outside the ICJ
(Photo: Foreign Ministry)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken dismissed the case as "meritless" during a visit to Tel Aviv on Tuesday. "It is particularly galling, given that those who are attacking Israel, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, as well as their supporter Iran, continue to call for the annihilation of Israel and the mass murder of Jews," he said.
Ahead of the proceedings, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took to social media to state in English, that Israel had no intention of re-occupying the Gaza Strip or of displacing its citizens.
"I want to make a few points absolutely clear: Israel has no intention of permanently occupying Gaza or displacing its civilian population. Israel is fighting Hamas terrorists, not the Palestinian population, and we are doing so in full compliance with international law," Netanyahu wrote.
He went on to say that the IDF urges civilians to leave areas before they are attacked to protect them from harm while Hamas prevents civilians from reaching the safe zone provided by Israel.
The prime minister concluded by saying that once the Israeli captives held hostage by Hamas are freed and the terror group is defeated, the Strip can be "demilitarized and deradicalized," providing a better life for Israelis and Palestinians.