Israel: South Africa Ridicules Genocide Claims

On Friday, May 17, Israel defended its military operations aimed at destroying Hamas in response to South Africa's request to the International Court of Justice to halt operations in Rafah and fully withdraw from Gaza, stating, "South Africa ridicules the heinous accusation of genocide." Gilad Noam, Israel's Minister of Justice, described South Africa's case accusing Israel of violating the genocide convention as "completely detached from the facts and circumstances." The Minister stated, "The target of Israel's military operations is not civilians, but Hamas terrorists who use Rafah as a stronghold with a network of tunnels for moving hostages and militants from Gaza." He added that the claims made by South Africa do not even provide evidence of illegal behavior by Israel, let alone "genocide," and remarked, "Ordering Israel to withdraw its forces is tantamount to issuing a death sentence for the remaining hostages in Gaza." Gilad Noam emphasized, "South Africa ridicules the heinous accusation of genocide," and referred to the international convention on the prevention and punishment of genocide, describing South Africa's accusation as a "grotesque abuse of the most sacred convention" globally. This convention obligates all countries to act to prevent genocide, and the International Court of Justice, which addresses disputes between states, has concluded that South Africa has the right to bring this case. Dozens of pro-Israel protesters gathered outside the court in The Hague, displaying photos of hostages taken by Hamas on October 7 and demanding their immediate release. Hamas militants killed 1,200 people and took over 250 hostages during the October 7 attack on Israel, of which about 100 were released two months later under a ceasefire agreement. Meanwhile, a senior Hamas official claimed on Thursday, May 26, that 70% of Hamas hostages have lost their lives. Khalil al-Hayya, in an interview with the "Al-Manar" network affiliated with Hezbollah, stated that Israel wants to free its "captives" through military force but does not realize that 70% of them have been killed in the bombings. This week's sessions at the International Court of Justice in The Hague are focused solely on issuing emergency measures, and it may take years to reach a decision on the main genocide accusation. According to "The Times of Israel," Israel Katz, Israel's Foreign Minister, stated on Friday after the second day of the International Court of Justice sessions that nothing will prevent Israel from defending itself. He remarked, "I commend our legal team that proudly represented us at the International Court of Justice in The Hague against South Africa's hypocritical display."