South Africa tells top UN court Israeli genocide has hit ‘new and horrific stage’

South Africa has hit out at Israel at the top UN court for stepping up “genocide” against Palestinians in Gaza, urging the court to order a halt to the regime’s invasion of the besieged strip’s southern city of Rafah.

The International Court of Justice on Thursday held the first day of hearings on a new request from South Africa over Israel’s plans for a ground invasion of Rafah.

The hearings focused on the call for the top UN court to take additional measures to protect Rafah from a “genocidal operation” threatening the very survival of Palestinians. 

“South Africa had hoped, when we last appeared before this court, to halt this genocidal process to preserve Palestine and its people,” South African Ambassador to the Netherlands Vusimuzi Madonsela told the Hague-based court.

“Instead, Israel’s genocide has continued apace and has just reached a new and horrific stage,” he added.

South Africa called for unrestricted access to aid into the Gaza Strip and urged the World Court to ensure Israel reports back whether it has adhered to the orders.

Vaughan Lowe, a lawyer for South Africa, said the situation on the ground in the wake of the Israeli aggression against the crowded city of Rafah requires fresh ICJ action.

The lawyers said the invasion of Rafah is “the last step in the destruction of Gaza and its Palestinian people.” 

“It was Rafah that brought South Africa to the court. But it is all Palestinians as a national, ethnic and racial group who need the protection from genocide that the court can order,” he added.

The hearings are part of an ongoing case South Africa had filed at the ICJ last December, over Israel's violation of the Genocide Convention.

In January, the court ordered Israel to take measures to prevent genocide in Gaza but stopped short of ordering a ceasefire.

Egypt to join South Africa’s genocide case against Israel

Egypt says it is joining South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

South Africa has stressed that the only way for the existing court orders to be implemented is a “permanent ceasefire in Gaza.”

Hamas resistance movement’s chief Ismail Haniyeh has warned that the Israeli onslaught on Rafah threatens to undermine negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire.

Just minutes before the court hearings opened, Israel’s military said the operation in Rafah “will continue as additional forces will enter” the area.

Israel sends more troops to Rafah, expands military invasion

At least 600,000 Palestinians have already fled Rafah to other areas in the strip after Israel intensified its military invasion there.

Months of relentless Israeli attacks keep taking the lives of more and more Palestinian women and children in the Gaza Strip.

The overall Palestinian death toll since early October is now approaching 35,300, most of them women and children.

The figures exclude the tens of thousands of dead who are believed to be buried in the bombed-out ruins of buildings.

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