The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague will hold the first hearing on Thursday to look into South Africa’s submission accusing Israel of genocide and war crimes in the Gaza Strip.
ICJ will hold sessions on Thursday and Friday in the case brought in late December accusing Israel of failing to uphold its obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention.
The court hearings will deal exclusively with South Africa’s request for emergency measures ordering Israel to suspend its military actions in Gaza while the court will embark on hearing the merits of the case – a process that could take years.
In an 84-page filing, South Africa cites Israel’s failure to provide essential food, water, medicine, fuel, shelter, and other humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip.
It also points to the sustained bombing campaign which has destroyed hundreds of thousands of houses, forced the evacuation of some 1.9 million Palestinians and killed over 23,000 people.
A panel of 17 judges, including two from Israel and South Africa, will hear three hours of arguments from each side. A ruling on the provisional measures was expected later this month. The world court’s rulings are binding, but the court has no way to enforce them.
