JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel will seem earlier than the Worldwide Courtroom of Justice (ICJ) on the Hague to contest South Africa’s genocide accusations over the battle with Hamas in Gaza, an Israeli authorities spokesman mentioned on Tuesday.
South Africa requested the ICJ on Friday for an pressing order declaring that Israel was in breach of its obligations beneath the 1948 Genocide Conference in its crackdown in opposition to Hamas.
“The State of Israel will seem earlier than the Worldwide Courtroom of Justice at The Hague to dispel South Africa’s absurd blood libel,” spokesman Eylon Levy advised a web based briefing.
“We guarantee South Africa’s leaders, historical past will choose you, and it’ll choose you with out mercy,” Levy mentioned.
The ICJ, generally often known as the World Courtroom, is the United Nations venue for resolving disputes between states. Israel’s overseas ministry has mentioned the swimsuit was “baseless.”
The battle was triggered by a cross-border assault by Hamas Islamist militants on Oct. 7, which Israel says killed 1,200 individuals.
Israel responded with an air and land assault that has killed greater than 22,000 individuals, Palestinian well being officers say. Whereas its casualty figures don’t differentiate between fighters and civilians, the ministry has mentioned that 70% of Gaza’s lifeless are girls and people beneath 18. Israel disputes Palestinian casualty figures and says it has killed 8,000 fighters.
Levy listed a collection of measures Israel’s navy has taken to reduce hurt to non-combatants.
He mentioned Hamas bore full ethical duty for the battle it began and was “waging from inside and beneath hospitals, faculties, mosques, houses and UN amenities,” Levy mentioned.
He added, with out elaborating, that South Africa was complicit in Hamas’ crimes in opposition to Israelis.
Hamas denies utilizing Gaza’s inhabitants as human shields.
(Reporting by Maayan Lubell; Enhancing by Andrew Heavens and Tomasz Janowski)
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