Amnesty International said the International Court of Justice hearings into Israel’s violations of the Genocide Convention are a necessary step to help protect Palestinian civilians.
According to the organization, the deliberations “can help protect Palestinian civilians, end the humanitarian catastrophe in the occupied Gaza Strip, and provide a glimmer of hope for achieving international justice.”
South Africa submitted a petition arguing that Israel’s actions and other inactions with respect to the Palestinians in Gaza bear the character of genocide.
South Africa’s petition urges the court to order “provisional measures” to protect the Palestinian people in Gaza, including calling on Israel to immediately cease military attacks that “constitute or lead to violations of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide,” and to repeal related measures that amount to punishment. Mass and forced displacement.
The organization said that although it did not reach the conclusion that the situation in Gaza amounts to genocide, “there are worrying indicators and warnings given the massive amount of death and destruction, as more than 23,000 Palestinians were killed within 3 and over months, and 10,000 others went missing.” Under the rubble, they too were likely killed, in addition to the horrific surge in racist rhetoric that dehumanizes Palestinians by some Israeli government and military officials.”
She added that all of this came coupled with Israel’s imposition of an illegal blockade on Gaza, which has prevented or severely restricted the civilian population’s access to water, food, medical assistance and fuel, inflicting unimaginable levels of suffering, and endangering the survival of those inside Gaza.