As Israeli military tanks have started to go deeper into the Jabalia refugee camp as part of a new offensive in northern Gaza, Egypt says it will formally join the lawsuit filed by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) which accuses Israel of violating its obligations under the Genocide Convention in the Gaza Strip.
The offensive – which has forced thousands of Palestinians to flee – comes months after Israel declared Hamas had been “dismantled” in the area.
The European Union condemns Israeli evacuation orders in eastern Rafah as Hundreds of thousands are once again forced to flee.
Meanwhile, antigovernment protests continue in Israel calling for a deal to bring captives.
At least 35,034 people have been killed and 78,755 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The revised death toll in Israel from Hamas’s October 7 attacks stands at 1,139 with dozens of people still held captive.
Egypt accuses Israel of systematically targeting civilians, destroying infrastructure in Gaza
Egypt said Sunday it will join a genocide lawsuit filed by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over its deadly offensive in the Gaza Strip.
In a statement, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said the move comes “in light of the severity and scope of the Israeli assaults against Palestinian civilians in Gaza and the systematic targeting of civilians and destruction of infrastructure in the strip.”
More than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 76,600 others injured in a brutal Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip since a Hamas attack last Oct. 7 that killed nearly 1,200 people.
Seven months into the conflict, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.
An interim ruling by The Hague-based court in January said it is “plausible” that Tel Aviv is committing genocide in Gaza, ordering it to stop such acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
South Africa on Friday asked the ICJ to order Israel to withdraw from Rafah as part of additional emergency measures over the war.
It was earlier reported that, Activists have launched an online petition urging the Egyptian government to join South Africa in its landmark case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which accuses Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
The petition calls on Egypt “to call for enforcing measures under the UN ‘Genocide Convention’ to ensure an immediate ceasefire and an end to the Israeli armed onslaught on Gaza.”
It further demands the formation of a committee, comprising the country’s prosecutor-general, diplomats, journalists, and representatives from civil society and professional syndicates, to meticulously document the crimes of the Israeli occupation.
The findings would be collated into an official memo to be presented before the ICJ.
Given Egypt’s historical ties and geographical proximity to the Gaza Strip, along with its diplomatic relations with Israel, Cairo’s role in the region’s affairs is deemed pivotal.
Egypt also played a key role in the de-escalation efforts in Gaza. Doha and Cairo’s mediation had resulted in a temporary truce that lasted between November 24 and December 1 following two extensions under wider efforts to reach a permanent ceasefire.
The pause led to the release of at least 110 Israeli and foreign captives from Gaza, according to a Doha News tally. As part of the deal, Israel released 240 Palestinian women and children from Israeli prisons.
One in every 100 killed: Israeli genocide wipes out 1% of pre-war Gaza population
The ICJ, otherwise known as the United Nations’ World Court, is scheduled to convene its first session on January 11 in The Hague, Netherlands, to deliberate on the case.
Thursday has been allocated for South Africa to present its case against Israel for its acts and omissions that have violated the UN’s Genocide Convention.
While January 12 will see Israel attempt to contest South Africa’s charges.
South Africa’s indictment has shaken Israel’s military, who fear a court injunction may force a halt in its demolition of Gaza.
