On Tuesday, the U.N.’s International Court of Justice (ICJ) announced that it will hear arguments over new emergency measures sought by South Africa against Israel’s attacks on Rafah during the war in Gaza. These measures are part of an ongoing case filed by South Africa at the ICJ in December last year, accusing Israel of violating the Genocide Convention during its offensive against Palestinians in Gaza.
Israel has denied any wrongdoing and stated that its actions were in accordance with international law. The country has called the genocide case baseless and accused South Africa of acting as a legal arm for Gaza’s ruling Hamas militants. On Thursday, South Africa will present its arguments, while Israel will present its side of the case on Friday.
The war in Gaza has resulted in nearly 35,000 deaths according to health authorities in the region. Israeli tallies show that about 1,200 people were killed in Israel and 253 taken hostage on October 7 when Hamas initiated the attack that sparked the conflict.
The hearings at The Hague are focused on issuing emergency measures to prevent further escalation of the dispute. The court will eventually rule on the merits of the case, a process that typically takes several years. While ICJ rulings are binding and final, enforcing them can be challenging due to lack of means to do so.
