South Africa announced on Friday, December 29, 2023, that it has approached the UN’s international court of justice (ICJ) under the Geneva convention with respect to acts committed by Israel in Gaza.

In a statement, South Africa said that it is ‘“gravely concerned with the plight of civilians” caught in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip “due to the indiscriminate use of force and forcible removal of inhabitants.”

It said that 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” in the Palestinian territory.

“An application in this regard was filed before the Court on 29 December 2023 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’s department of international relations and cooperation

It said that South Africa “condemns all violence and attacks against all civilians, including Israelis”, adding that it has continuously called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire and for talks to resume “that will end the violence arising from the continued belligerent occupation of Palestine.”

In an application to the court, South Africa described Israel’s actions in Gaza as “genocidal in character because they are intended to bring about the destruction of a substantial part of the Palestinian national, racial and ethnical group”.

“The acts in question include killing Palestinians in Gaza, causing them serious bodily and mental harm, and inflicting on them conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction,” the application said.

South Africa called for an expedited hearing, and said that the court should preliminarily “order Israel to cease killing and causing serious mental and bodily harm to Palestinian people in Gaza”.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is a UN civil court that adjudicates disputes between countries. It is distinct from the International Criminal Court (ICC), which prosecutes individuals for war crimes.

As members of the UN, both South Africa and Israel are bound by the court.

Meanwhile, the Government Media Office in Gaza disclosed that more than 200 heritage sites have been targeted and destroyed by Israeli army attacks in the enclave.

The sites include mosques, churches, schools, museums and ancient archaeological houses, some of them dating back to the Phoenician area.

The office called the targeting of the sites “a failed attempt to obliterate the Palestinian cultural and heritage presence and an attempt to conceal Historical evidence and the depth of Palestinian history in the Gaza Strip,” and deemed their destruction a violation of international law.

Israel Slams South Africa Over Case Launch

Israel rejected South Africa’s announcement that it has launched a genocide case at the UN’s international court of justice accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

Israel rejected “with contempt the blood libel by South Africa in its application to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).”

“South Africa’s claim has no factual and judicial basis and is a despicable and cheap exploitation of the court,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The statement also read, “South Africa is collaborating with a terrorist group that calls for Israel’s destruction. The people of Gaza are not an enemy of Israel, who is making efforts to limit harm to non-combatants.”

“We call on the International Court of Justice and the international community to reject the baseless claims of South Africa out of hand,” the statement added.