Israel Will Respond to Genocide Charges at UN Court After South Africa Urgently Requests Cease-fire

Hague: Israel will respond to charges of genocide at United Nations' top court on Friday, after South Africa filed an urgent request with court to order a cease-fire in Gaza.

It's third time that International Court of Justice, or ICJ, has held hearings on Israel-Hamas war since South Africa filed proceedings at Hague-based court in December.

On Thursday, South Africa told court that situation in Gaza has reached “a new and horrific stage”, and urged 15 judges to take urgent action.

Israel must “totally and unconditionally withdraw” from Gaza Strip, said Vusimuzi Monsela, South Africa's ambassor to Nerlands.

South Africa has submitted four requests for ICJ to investigate Israel. According to latest request, country says Israel's military incursion in Rafah threatens “very survival of Palestinians in Gaza”.

During hearings earlier this year, Israel strongly denied committing genocide in Gaza, saying it does all it can to spare civilians and is only targeting Hamas militants. Israel says Rafah is last stronghold of militant group.

In January, judges ordered Israel to do all it can to prevent death, destruction and any acts of genocide in Gaza, but panel stopped short of ordering an end to military offensive.

court has alrey found that re is a “real and imminent risk” to Palestinian people in Gaza by Israel's military operations.

“This may well be last chance for court to act,” said Irish lawyer Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh, who is part of South Africa's legal team.

ICJ judges have bro powers to order a cease-fire and or measures, though court doesn't have its own enforcement apparatus. A 2022 order by court demanding that Russia halt its full-scale invasion of Ukraine has so far gone unheeded.

Most of Gaza's population of 2.3 million people have been displaced since fighting began.

war began with a Hamas attack on sourn Israel on October 7 in which Palestinian militants killed around 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages. More than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in war, Gaza's Health Ministry says, without distinguishing between civilians and combatants in its count.

South Africa initiated proceedings in December 2023 and sees legal campaign as rooted in issues central to its identity. Its governing party, African National Congress, has long compared Israel's policies in Gaza and occupied West Bank to its own history under aparid regime of white minority rule, which restricted most Blacks to “homelands”. Aparid ended in 1994.

On Sunday, Egypt announced it plans to join case. Several countries have also indicated y plan to intervene, but so far only Libya, Nicaragua and Colombia have filed formal requests to do so.