South Africa announced that the International Court of Justice has set January 11 to hold the first session to consider a request to try Israel on charges of committing genocide in its war on Gaza.
South African Ministry of International Relations spokesman, Clayson Monella, said in a blog post on the X platform, today, Wednesday, that the session will begin on this date at the court’s headquarters in the Dutch city of The Hague and will continue the next day.
The spokesman indicated that his country is continuing its preparations in this regard.
This comes days after South Africa submitted a request to the International Court of Justice to file a case against Israel on charges of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
South Africa asked the court last Friday to issue an urgent order declaring that Israel is violating its obligations in the 1948 Genocide Convention.
On the other hand, an Israeli government spokesman said yesterday, Tuesday, that Israel will appear before the International Court of Justice to refute South Africa’s accusations.
The spokesman described the accusation of committing genocide as ridiculous, and continued, “We assure the leaders of South Africa that history will judge you without mercy.”
On the other hand, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported the day before Monday that the security establishment and the Public Prosecution in Israel fear that the International Court of Justice will attribute genocide crimes to Israel in Gaza.
She added that one of the senior legal experts dealing with the case warned army leaders of the risk of the International Court of Justice issuing a ceasefire order.
Since Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7, the Israeli army has been waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip, leaving more than 22,000 martyrs and 57,000 wounded, most of them women and children, according to data from the Ministry of Health in the Strip.