Israel will defend itself at the International Court of justice (ICJ) against South Africa’s claims that it is committing "genocidal acts" in Gaza officials said.
South Africa launched the case against Israel on Friday at the ICJ at The Hague, the UN's top court in the Netherlands.
The 84-page document labels Israel’s actions in Gaza as "genocidal in character because they are intended to bring about the destruction of a substantial part of the Palestinian national, racial and ethnical group".
Israel has dismissed the case as unfair and biased.
On Tuesday, Israeli spokesperson, Eylon Levy, accused South Africa of "giving political and legal cover" to the Hamas attack on October 7, which killed 1,200 people according to Israel and triggered the three-month long war.
He said: "The state of Israel will appear before the International Court of Justice at The Hague to dispel South Africa’s absurd blood libel."
"We assure South Africa’s leaders, history will judge you, and it will judge you without mercy."
South Africa has been a long-time supporter of Palestinians and has compared the conflict to its own apartheid-era, which Israel strongly rejects.
Clayson Monyela, a spokesperson for South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation, said on X that lawyers are preparing for the case to be heard on January 11 and 12.
Just to be clear. The ICJ has scheduled a hearing of the case that #SouthAfrica has triggered. This is set down for 11-12 January 2024 at the Hague. Our lawyers are currently preparing for this. https://t.co/Cx1YceIYFM
— Clayson Monyela (@ClaysonMonyela) January 2, 2024
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed South Africa's claims of genocide, saying "No, South Africa, it is not we who have come to perpetrate genocide, it is Hamas."
"It would murder all of us if it could. In contrast, the IDF (Israeli army) is acting as morally as possible," he added.
He vowed to continue the war until Hamas is crushed and the remaining hostages still held by the militant group are released.
On Monday, Israel announced that it will withdraw thousands of its soldiers from Gaza to shift to more targeted operations.
Heavy fighting continues in southern Gaza where Israeli forces recently bombarded the city of Khan Younis, killing more than 200 people, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.
According to Gaza’s health ministry, more than 22,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, including at least 9,100 children since the start of the war.
Hamas’s supreme leader, Ismail Haniyeh, thanked South Africa for launching the case.
Haniyeh, who is currently living in exile, said in a televised address broadcast on Al-Jazeera: "We greet all those who support us, especially the state of South Africa. And we appreciate the political and legal importance of this complaint."
He stressed that there will be no more hostage exchange "until the aggression comes to a complete stop".
