Palestinians urge prosecution by UN court for case against Israel

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry on Saturday urged the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to expedite proceedings on a case filed by South Africa accusing Israel of "genocidal" acts in the Gaza Strip.

The case claims "alleged violations by Israel of its obligations under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (the 'Genocide Convention') in relation to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip," according to an ICJ press release.

Noting that South Africa and Palestine are signatories to the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the Palestinian ministry said "what South Africa presented, relying on Article 9 of the convention, and Israel's violation of Articles 2 and 3, completely aligns with the duties of nations to prevent the commission of this crime."

The ministry called on the ICJ to swiftly respond to South Africa's request to prevent the "genocidal" acts by issuing a decision to halt Israeli aggression with a ceasefire in Gaza.

Meanwhile, Hamas called on more countries to submit similar requests to international courts against Israel saying it has threatened global peace and security.

The ICJ is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. It was established by the UN Charter in June 1945 and began its activities in April 1946.

The conflict that broke out on October 7, when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, sees no end in sight as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reiterated that his ground offensive in Gaza will last "for many more months."

In another indication of his goal for the Gaza invasion, Netanyahu said on Saturday that Israel must take full control of the enclave's border corridor with Egypt to ensure a "demilitarization" of the area.

If accomplished, such a move would mark a de facto reversal of Israel's 2005 withdrawal from Gaza, placing Gaza under exclusive Israeli control after years being run by Hamas.

(Cover: Palestinians inspect the damage following Israeli strikes on the Zawayda area of the central Gaza Strip amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Hamas movement in Gaza Strip, on December 30, 2023. /CFP)

(With input from agencies)