South Africa files case at ICJ accuses Israel of ‘genocidal acts’ in Gaza

New Delhi, Dec 30 (IANS) South Africa has invoked the genocide convention and brought forth proceedings against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), media reports said.

As per the reports, the ICJ claim related to alleged violations by Israel of its obligations under the Genocide Convention.“Israel has engaged in, is engaging in and risks further engaging in genocidal acts against the Palestinian people in Gaza,” it said.Israel launched a ground offensive inside Gaza on October 27 after Hamas attacked Israel in a surprise attack on October 7 in which 1200 Israelis were killed and over 200 were taken hostage.Since the outbreak of hostilities, at least 21,507 Palestinians have been killed mostly being children and women while 55,603 Palestinians have been injured.Earlier, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has said that the arrival of humanitarian aid trucks in Gaza is woefully inadequate. “The volume of aid remains woefully inadequate,” the UN agency said.Also, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has reiterated his concerns that the war in Gaza will spill over into a regional conflict, media reports said.“There is a continued risk of wider regional conflagration, the longer the conflict in Gaza continues, given the risk of escalation and miscalculation by multiple actors,” media reports quoting Guterres as saying in a statement.–IANS int/dan