Pretoria has requested an injunction from the International Court of Justice in The Hague against Israel for violating the 1948 Genocide Convention. The Israeli army searches for Hamas leaders in the embattled city.
Tel Aviv/Pretoria/Gaza. The Republic of South Africa on Friday asked the International Court of Justice in The Hague to issue an injunction against Israel, declaring that Israel was violating the 1948 United Nations Genocide Convention in its fight against Hamas in Gaza and that should stop his actions.
Initially there was no reaction from the court in the Netherlands. On Friday, Israel's Foreign Ministry accused South Africa of collaborating with terrorists. South Africa has supported Palestinians since the end of apartheid in 1992 and has recently emerged as a vocal critic of Israel's war against Islamist Hamas.
Hamas leadership arrested?
The Israeli army is expanding its operations in and around the city of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, where a refugee camp is located. Israel suspects that Hamas leadership is hiding there. The military asked the city's residents to move to Rafah, on the border with Egypt.
The Israeli offensive was triggered by the massacre carried out by terrorists from Hamas and other Islamic groups in Israel on October 7th. Given the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and the high number of civilian casualties, Israel is naturally under increasing international pressure.
The Israeli operation killed 187 Palestinians in the last 24 hours, the Hamas-controlled health authority in Gaza said on Friday. The death toll since the start of the offensive has risen to 21,507. 55,915 people were injured. The information cannot be independently verified and the authority also mixes combatants with civilians.
The Red Crescent now wants to build a refugee camp in Khan Junis. As announced by the organization, 300 tents will initially be set up for families displaced by Israel. Later, the capacity will be expanded to 1,000 tents to house hundreds of displaced families. (APA/dpa/red.)