South Africa has called on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to demand that Israel stop its assault on Rafah, Al Jazeera reports.
South Africa, which initiated its case in January regarding Israel’s war on Gaza, is seeking additional emergency measures to address Israel’s offensive on Rafah. This city in the southern Gaza Strip has become a refuge for over a million displaced Palestinians fleeing attacks in other parts of the enclave. On Thursday, South Africa told the court in The Hague that the Palestinian people are facing “ongoing annihilation” and described the assault on Rafah as “part of the endgame in which Gaza is utterly destroyed.”
Despite “explicit warnings” of potential “genocidal” consequences, Israel continues its attacks in Rafah, South African lawyer Tembeka Ngcukaitobi stated.
Israel, which denies South Africa’s accusation of violating the 1949 Genocide Convention, will present its response on Friday.
Just before the court hearings began, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant announced that the controversial operation in Rafah “will continue as additional forces will enter” the area.
Rafah, an overcrowded city where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have taken shelter in tents, is suffering from a rapid spread of diseases and severe shortages of food and clean water. The only hospital in the area has shut down, leaving a small facility overwhelmed by the demand.
Previously, ICJ judges have issued provisional measures, ordering Israel to mitigate humanitarian suffering in Gaza. These measures included ensuring the prompt delivery of basic food supplies to Palestinians in Gaza, who are experiencing severe hunger and even famine due to Israel’s total siege.
Earlier this month, the Israeli army seized and closed the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, a crucial entry point for humanitarian aid. Aid agencies have warned that this closure has significantly impeded their operations.
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