Al Jazeera reported on Wednesday night that South Africa’s request to the top UN court at The Hague is aimed at preventing famine in Gaza and ensuring the safety and health of the 2.3 million Palestinians there.
Vincent Magwenya, the official spokesman of the South African president, emphasized the need for urgent actions to ensure that further genocide is prevented in the Gaza Strip, report said.
In its application, South Africa has warned that Palestinians in Gaza are facing starvation and has asked the court to review and prevent Israel's decision to expand its military operations. It also requested the court to order that all parties cease hostilities and release all hostages and detainees.
In a statement on Wednesday, the South African presidency also warned that the people of Gaza cannot wait. “The threat of all-out famine has now materialized. The court needs to act now to stop the imminent tragedy by immediately and effectively ensuring that the rights it has found are threatened under the Genocide Convention are protected,” it added.
The statement said that the ICJ should take these measures without scheduling a new round of hearings because of the “extreme urgency of the situation”.
In January, South Africa filed a lawsuit at the top UN court against the Zionist regime over the mass killing of the Palestinian people with the aim of ethnic cleansing in Gaza and violating the Genocide Convention.
Later in the month, after hearing arguments from the plaintiff and defendant, the court issued an interim order that called on the Zionist regime to take necessary measures to prevent crimes of genocide and improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
The court also acknowledged that the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip led to the death of a large number of civilians and caused forced migration. But it stopped short of ordering a ceasefire that was a key demand in South Africa’s lawsuit.
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