South Africa on Thursday accused Israel before the International Criminal Court (ICC) of committing “deliberate genocide” in the Gaza Strip and asked judges to order an immediate end to military operations.
In the first of two days of hearings at the ICC, based in The Hague, Netherlands, lawyers for the South African government said the Israeli offensive was aimed at “destructing the population of Gaza” which had been “decided at the highest levels of the Israeli state.” “This genocidal intent is evident in the way the war is carried out,” explained one of the lawyers, Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, citing the more than 23,000 deaths caused by the Israeli offensive and the obstacles created to the flow of humanitarian aid. “The evidence of genocidal intent is overwhelming and overwhelming,” he concluded.
Israel, which is presenting its case at the ICC this Friday, accuses South Africa of “hypocrisy” and “acting as the legitimate wing of Hamas”, failing to mention that the group’s terrorists “killed, executed, killed, burned alive, raped and kidnapped hundreds Israelis on October 7, and that Israel has the right to defend itself.”
A possible ICC decision on the genocide complaint could take years and would be merely symbolic, as the court has no ability to enforce any decision.
UN against the Houthis
The UN Security Council on Thursday demanded an immediate end to Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
Escorted ships
French navies have begun escorting merchant ships in the Red Sea, but Paris has ruled out attacking Houthi bases in Yemen.
Isolate the will
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the creation of a Palestinian state “will help isolate Iran.”
