International court hears opening arguments accusing Israel of genocide

Lawyers representing South Africa in opening statements on Thursday told the United Nations’ International Court of Justice in the Netherlands that Israel’s war in Gaza amounts to genocide against the Palestinian people. South Africa last month accused Israel of violating a 1948 UN convention against genocide. It requested that the court order Israel to end its military operation. The Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza claims that Israel’s offensive has killed more than 23,000 people since Hamas’ attack in October. Officials in Gaza do not distinguish between civilian and terrorist deaths. Lawyers for Israel will give their opening arguments on Friday. A decision on provisional measures could take weeks, and the case will likely last years.

What has Israel said about the case so far? Israel does not plan to permanently occupy Gaza and is solely focused on rescuing hostages and destroying Hamas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday in a video statement. Israeli President Isaac Herzog and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday said South Africa’s case is baseless. Israeli officials have said their forces take all possible precautions to avoid harming civilians as they seek to destroy the terrorist group.

Dig deeper: Read Jill Nelson’s report in WORLD Magazine on Hamas and its relationship with Arab countries.