Israel has submitted a written response to the International Court of Justice, urging the court to dismiss South Africa's latest request for interim orders aimed at preventing starvation in Gaza. The request is part of a case in which South Africa accuses Israel of breaching the Genocide Convention through its military offensive against Hamas.
Israel vehemently denies the allegations made by South Africa, describing them as 'wholly unfounded in fact and law, morally repugnant, and an abuse of the Genocide Convention and the Court itself.'
The response from Israel comes at a critical time, with the U.N. food agency warning that famine is imminent in northern Gaza, where 70% of the remaining population is facing catastrophic hunger. The agency also highlighted the risk of half of Gaza's total population being pushed to the brink of starvation if the conflict escalates further.
Despite the dire situation, Israel maintains that its military actions in Gaza do not constitute a breach of the Genocide Convention. The country acknowledges civilian casualties but attributes them to the intense armed hostilities initiated by Hamas.
Israel emphasized that it is making significant efforts to alleviate the suffering of civilians in Gaza amid the challenging circumstances.
No timeline has been set for the court to rule on South Africa's request for interim measures.
During hearings in January, Israel's legal representatives argued that the military campaign in Gaza was a legitimate defense of its people, placing blame for any genocidal actions on Hamas militants.
Following the January hearings, the court issued provisional measures directing Israel to prevent death, destruction, and acts of genocide in Gaza. However, the court did not order an immediate halt to Israel's military offensive.
Israel contends that South Africa's recent request does not provide sufficient grounds to alter the existing provisional measures order.
Earlier attempts by South Africa to secure additional provisional measures for Rafah were rejected by the court, which reiterated the importance of Israel complying with the initial measures imposed in the genocide case.
The European Union's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, condemned the man-made famine in Gaza, attributing it to the use of starvation as a weapon of war. Borrell highlighted the closure of land crossings and obstruction of aid as contributing factors to the dire humanitarian situation in the region.
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