Cape Town, South Africa (PANA) – South Africa will on Thursday afternoon ask the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to order Israel to “immediately withdraw and cease its military offensive” in Rafah.
Members of South Africa’s legal team, Department of International Relations and Cooperation Director-General, Zane Dangor and the South African ambassador to the Netherlands, Vusi Madonsela, have arrived at The Hague for the two-day hearing.
Pretoria hopes to secure a binding order from the ICJ to force Israel to cease its military incursion in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
In a request filed on 10 May, South Africa made an urgent appeal to the ICJ for the indication of additional provisional measures and the modification of provisional measures previously prescribed by the court on 26 January and 28 March.
In its application, South Africa also requested the court to order Israel to take all effective measures to ensure and facilitate unimpeded access to Gaza for officials of the UN and other international organisations to provide humanitarian aid and access for journalists and investigators.
South Africa filed an application at the ICJ on 29 December 2023, accusing Israel of genocide in its war on Gaza, and seeking to halt its attack on the enclave, pending the court’s final decision on whether Israel is perpetrating genocide.
-0- PANA CU/MA 16May2024
