South Africa has initiated proceedings against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing Israel of committing genocide through its military operations in the Gaza Strip. According to South Africa, Israel’s actions violate the UN’s 1948 Genocide Convention. South Africa’s application alleges that Israel’s acts are genocidal as they are reportedly intended to destroy a significant part of the Palestinian national, racial, and ethnical group dwelling in the Gaza Strip.
The South African application alleges that Israel has targeted and erased Gaza’s hospitals with withering consequences: only 13 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are partially functional, none in North Gaza. Alongside this, the application referenced a report by AP claiming that the destruction caused by Israeli military attacks surpasses that of several major conflicts worldwide including Syria’s Aleppo and Ukraine’s Mariupol.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza reports that Israeli incursions have resulted in over 21,507 Palestinians killed and 55,915 others wounded. Among the dead, over a third are children. The ministry also stated that more than 60 percent of Gaza’s housing stock, equating to over 355,000 homes, have been damaged or destroyed, leading to approximately 80 percent of Gaza’s population being forcibly displaced.
Israel, however, vehemently denies these accusations, branding South Africa’s assertion as both “outrageous and false” and arguing that their military operations do not meet “the legal definition of genocide.” Israel maintains its actions in Gaza do not violate its obligations under the Genocide Convention, even labeling the accusations of genocide as “morally repugnant”, “antisemitic” and dismissing as false the assertion that their military operations are a systematic effort to empty Gaza of its people.
The accusation brought by South Africa aligns with its foreign policy objective, aiming for a durable peace between Israel and the State of Palestine and the existence of two States side by side within internationally recognized borders. South Africa’s application includes a request for a provisional ceasefire while the ICJ reviews the merits of the case.