THE HAGUE – South Africa’s legal team submitted nearly 5,000 pages to the United Nations Supreme Court on Monday, the latest in a lawsuit the country has filed accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. It’s a step.
A statement from South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the document, which the International Court of Justice will not release until later in the case, is a “key case” that Israel has a “specific intent to commit genocide.” It is said that it is presenting. .
Israel vehemently denied the allegations. When South Africa launched charges in December 2023, the government called the incident a “blood libel.”
On Monday, court officials at the ICJ confirmed they had received the document.
The application comes as the Israeli military urges Palestinians to evacuate northern Gaza, where it has been carrying out a major offensive for more than three weeks. The United Nations said earlier this month that at least 400,000 people remain in northern Gaza, where hunger is widespread as the amount of humanitarian aid reaching the north has plummeted over the past month.
The Hague-based court has so far activated three emergency measures, ordering Israel to halt military attacks in Rafah and open more land routes for aid to Gaza.
South Africa claims Israel has refused to comply. “Israel’s continued subversion of international law endangers the institutions of global governance established to hold all nations accountable,” the president’s statement said.
Palestine, Spain, Chile and seven other countries have applied to the court to join the case.
Israel currently has until July 2025 to respond.
Israel launched military operations in Gaza after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing approximately 1,200 people (mostly civilians) and abducting 250 others. .
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