The International Court of Justice will hold public hearings in proceedings launched by South Africa against Israel over the Gaza war on Jan. 11 and 12, it said on Wednesday.
South Africa had asked the ICJ on Friday for an urgent order declaring that Israel was in breach of its obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention in its relentless bombardment on Gaza.
Israel had said it would appear before the court to contest the accusations. The court usually takes one or two weeks to issue a decision on emergency measures after the hearings. The court’s rulings are final but it has no authority to enforce them. South Africa accused Israel of engaging in “genocidal acts” in Gaza and asking the court to order the Israeli government to halt its attacks.
In a press release, the Hague-based ICJ, which is UN’s highest court, confirmed the application concerning violations of Israel’s obligations under the Genocide Convention. Meanwhile, Israel has strongly rejected the allegation, calling it “baseless”.
Since a cross-border attack by Hamas on October 7, Israel’s deadly bombardments of Gaza have left at least 21,000 people dead, three-quarters of them women and children, while thousands more are feared trapped under rubble, according to the enclave’s health ministry.—Reuters
