South Africa files new evidence in ICJ genocide case against Israel
South Africa presented new evidence to the ICJ. (AA Photo)
South Africa on Monday submitted fresh evidence to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to support its case that Israel is committing genocide in the besieged Palestinian enclave of Gaza.
The memorial, as it is termed in legal parlance, includes new evidence suggesting Israel has “violated the genocide convention by promoting the destruction of Palestinians living in Gaza, physically killing them with an assortment of destructive weapons, and depriving them access to humanitarian assistance,” stated Cyril Ramaphosa, South Africa’s president.
The evidence indicates that Israel’s actions are aimed at the physical destruction of Palestinians, alongside “ignoring and defying” several provisional measures previously ordered by the ICJ.
‘Israel uses starvation as a weapon’
Ramaphosa accused Israel of “using starvation as a weapon of war” to further its aims of depopulating Gaza through mass death and forced displacement of Palestinians.
He referenced evidence detailed in over 750 pages of text, accompanied by exhibits and annexes totaling over 4,000 pages. However, he noted that the cache of new evidence may not be made public.
The filing coincides with an escalation in civilian casualties in Gaza, with Ramaphosa stating that Israel “now seems intent to follow a similar path of destruction in Lebanon.” The respondent, Israel, is due to file a response to the new evidence by July 28, 2025.
S. Africa’s ICJ case against Israel
South Africa initially filed the genocide case against Israel at the Hague-based tribunal in late 2023, accusing Israel of failing to uphold its commitments under the 1948 Genocide Convention amid relentless bombing of Gaza since October 2023. Several countries, including Türkiye, Nicaragua, Palestine, Spain, Mexico, Libya, and Colombia, have joined the case, which began public hearings in January.
In May, the ICJ ordered Israel to cease its offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. This was the third occasion the 15-judge panel issued preliminary orders seeking to end the deaths and destruction in the blockaded enclave, where nearly 43,000 Palestinians, mostly children and women, have been killed since October 7, 2023, and over 100,000 have been wounded.
“The evidence will show that undergirding Israel’s genocidal acts is the special intent to commit genocide, a failure by Israel to prevent incitement to genocide, to prevent genocide itself, and its failure to punish those inciting and committing acts of genocide,” Ramaphosa said, urging the global community to intervene to stop the ongoing catastrophe in Gaza.
He added, “The devastation and suffering have been possible only because, despite the ICJ and numerous U.N. bodies’ actions and interventions, Israel has failed to comply with its international obligations.”
