The foreign minister said Turkey would formally submit its intervention declaration in The Hague on Wednesday.
Turkey has announced that it will formally submit its declaration of intervention in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel over the Gaza war to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan made the announcement at a press conference in Cairo on Monday.
He said the submission to the UN tribunal is expected on Wednesday.
Turkey announced in May that it had decided to join the case launched by South Africa, which has tightened measures against Israel following its attack on Gaza, and that it would submit a request after the necessary legal preparations.
The ICJ has ordered Israel to refrain from any acts that could fall under the UN Genocide Convention and to ensure that its troops do not commit any genocidal acts against Palestinians after South Africa accused Israel of state-led genocide in Gaza.
South Africa filed a lawsuit against Israel in December, accusing it of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. The death toll from Israel’s war, which began in October, has reached nearly 40,000, according to health officials in the besieged and bombed territory.
South Africa’s case before the ICJ argues that Israel violated the 1948 Genocide Convention, which was established in the aftermath of the Holocaust and obliges countries to prevent the recurrence of such crimes.
Israel and its Western allies have called South Africa’s allegations baseless. It may be years before a final verdict is reached.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in January that his country would provide documents for the case before the U.N.’s top court, also known as the World Court.
So far, 13 countries have joined or announced their intention to join the genocide proceedings brought by South Africa against Israel. The ICJ can allow states to intervene in cases and provide opinions.
