APA-Pretoria (South Africa) South Africa has approached the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for an order directing Israel to stop its military campaign against the Palestinian group Hamas, which the Pretoria authorities have described as being tantamount to genocide.
In an application to the ICJ on Friday, South Africa’s Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation said the court should direct Israel to honour its obligations under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide by refraining “from any acts that may constitute genocide”.
The ministry said South Africa was “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.
It expressed concern at “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.”
“Therefore, at a special meeting held on 8 December 2023, Cabinet directed that the International Court of Justice in The Hague be approached to obtain an order directing Israel, which is also a State Party, to refrain from any acts that may constitute genocide or related crimes under the Convention,” the ministry said.
It said an application in this regard was filed before the Court on Friday “in which the court is requested to declare on an urgent basis that Israel is in breach of its obligations in terms of the Genocide Convention, should immediately cease all acts and measures in breach of those obligations and take a number of related actions.”
South Africa has repeatedly stated that it condemns all violence and attacks against all civilians, including Israelis.
The latest Israeli-Hamas war began on October 7 when militants of the Islamist group killed over 1,200 people in a cross-border attack on Israel and seized 240 hostages.
Israel responded with an assault on Hamas-ruled Gaza, killing more than 21,000 people, according to Palestinian health officials.
JN/APA