South Africa, the nation that initiated the case, is urging the UN court to take swift action to prevent further severe and irreparable harm to the rights of the Palestinian people, invoking the genocide convention, which they claim is being violated with impunity.

The genocide convention defines the crime as "acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group."

The ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza, which has persisted for 97 days, has resulted in a significant humanitarian toll, setting the backdrop for these legal proceedings.

Since October 7, Israel has been accused of causing the death of over 23,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. A striking 70% of the victims are reported to be women or children. The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) estimates that the aggression has internally displaced 1.9 million people, constituting nearly 85% of the population. Additionally, tens of thousands of buildings have been reduced to rubble.

In an 84-page written application to the ICJ initiating proceedings, South Africa contends, “The acts and omissions by Israel complained of by South Africa are genocidal in character because they are intended to bring about the destruction of a substantial part of the Palestinian national, racial and ethnical group.”

South Africa is urging the court to promptly enforce "provisional measures," instructing Israel to cease causing both physical and mental harm and to stop the killing of Palestinians in Gaza. The filing specifies that Israel should be directed to refrain from deliberately imposing conditions intended to lead to the destruction of Palestinians as a group.

Additionally, the filing calls for measures to prevent and penalize incitement to genocide and to put an end to restrictions on aid and evacuation directives. (ILKHA)