Israel-Hamas War: UN Supreme Court opens hearings in genocide case against Israel
South Africa on Thursday began laying out its case that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, arguing before the International Court of Justice that while Hamas committed atrocities in the October 7 terrorist attacks, the scale of Israel’s military response was unjustified.
As a two-day court hearing began, South Africa’s Justice Minister Ronald Lamola said the Israeli military offensive in Gaza had violated the international convention against genocide and had created living conditions for Gaza residents “that are designed to to live your own life’. physical destruction.”
“Even an attack involving atrocities cannot provide any justification or defense for violations of the convention, whether of law or morality,” Mr Lamola said. The Israeli response to the October 7 attacks, he said, “has crossed this line.”
Israel, which will present its defense on Friday, categorically denies the charge of genocide and insists it is waging the war in accordance with international law.
The hearings at the court, the United Nations’ highest judicial body, mark the first time Israel has chosen to personally defend itself in such an environment, underscoring the seriousness of the charges and the high stakes for its international reputation and reputation. the country underlines. .
The case was brought by South Africa, whose post-apartheid government has long supported the Palestinian cause. It accuses Israel of actions in Gaza that are of a “genocidal character,” following Hamas attacks on October 7 that killed about 1,200 people and led to about 240 people being taken hostage, Israeli officials said.
In response, Israeli airstrikes and ground invasions have killed more than 23,000 Palestinians over the past three months, the majority of them women and children, according to health officials in Gaza, who do not distinguish between the deaths of Hamas militants and those of civilians. Most of the enclave’s 2.2 million residents have been displaced since the war began, increasing the risk of disease and illness. hungryaccording to international organizations.
Adila Hassin, the first of several South African lawyers to argue the case against Israel on Thursday morning, described Israeli military airstrikes and evacuation orders that have resulted in widespread displacement, the spread of infectious diseases and a lack of food and clean water that the United Nations have caused. Nations groups say they have forced Gazans into extreme hunger.
“Nowhere is safe in Gaza,” Ms. Hassin said. “The situation is such that experts now predict that more Palestinians in Gaza will die from hunger and disease than from airstrikes.”
South Africa’s claim is fraught with particular significance in Israel, a country founded in the wake of the near-widespread destruction of European Jewry and which shortly afterwards became a refuge for Jews expelled from Arab countries by the hundreds of thousands. . The hearings were broadcast live on most Israeli television channels on Thursday.
Israeli leaders have said South Africa’s accusations distort the meaning of genocide and the purpose of the 1948 Genocide Convention, which South Africa is a signatory to. They point to millions of messages, sent in various ways, telling Gaza citizens to evacuate to safer areas before bombings take place, and say they are continuously working to increase the amount of aid entering Gaza.
A more appropriate case of genocide, Israeli leaders argue, could be brought against Hamas, an internationally labeled terrorist organization that is the target of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.