South Africa has formally submitted a nearly 5,000-page legal document to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. This filing is a significant step in the ongoing case initiated by South Africa in December 2023, which alleges that Israel has a “special intent to commit genocide,” according to President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The ICJ has not yet made the document public, and Israel has categorically denied the accusations, labeling the case as “blood libel.”
The filing comes amid a backdrop of escalating military action in Gaza, where the Israeli military has urged Palestinians to evacuate northern regions due to ongoing offensives. The UN has reported that over 400,000 people remain in northern Gaza, facing severe shortages of food and humanitarian aid.
As part of the proceedings, the ICJ has issued three rounds of emergency measures, calling on Israel to halt its military operations in Rafah and to facilitate increased humanitarian access to Gaza. South Africa claims that Israel has ignored these orders, stating, “Israel’s continued shredding of international law has imperiled the institutions of global governance.”
Several countries, including Palestine, Spain, and Chile, have sought to join South Africa’s case. Israel is required to respond to the allegations by July 2025.
The military escalation began following a deadly attack by Hamas militants on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people in Israel, predominantly civilians, and the abduction of 250 others.