Egypt has declared its support for South Africa’s legal action against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which seeks to address alleged violations by Israel of the Genocide Convention in the Gaza Strip.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry released a statement on Sunday, detailing that this move is a response to the escalating intensity and frequency of Israeli operations targeting Palestinian civilians in Gaza. The statement highlighted the systematic nature of these actions, including the direct targeting of non-combatants and the destruction of vital infrastructure.
According to the statement, such Israeli actions have forced Palestinians to flee their homes, resulting in a severe humanitarian crisis and making living conditions in Gaza untenable. These actions are in clear contravention of international norms, humanitarian laws, and the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention, which is designed to protect civilians during wartime.
Egypt is urging Israel to fulfil its responsibilities as an occupying force and to adhere to the provisional measures set forth by the International Court of Justice. These measures mandate the provision of adequate humanitarian and relief assistance to meet the needs of the Palestinian population in Gaza and call for Israeli forces to avoid any actions that could harm the Palestinian people, who are protected under the genocide prevention convention.
Furthermore, Egypt is reiterating its plea to the UN Security Council and other influential global entities to take immediate steps to halt the violence in Gaza and the military activities in Rafah, ensuring the safety and protection of Palestinian civilians.
In a related development, the International Court of Justice confirmed on Friday that it has granted Libya’s request to participate in the legal proceedings initiated by South Africa against Israel, which is accused of perpetrating genocide in the besieged Gaza Strip.
Regarding the humanitarian situation in the strip, the Ministry of Health in Gaza said that the Israeli occupation committed 8 massacres against families in the strip during the past 24 hours, of which 63 deaths and 114 reached hospitals, while several victims are still under the rubble and on the roads, and ambulance and civil defence crews cannot reach them.
It announced that the toll of the Israeli aggression had risen to 35,034 deaths and 78,755 injuries since the seventh of last October.
On the ground, the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement, announced that they had targeted two Israeli tanks with two Al-Yassin 105 shells behind the Riyad Al-Salehin Mosque, east of the Jabalia refugee camp, in the northern Gaza Strip. The Al-Qassam Brigades also announced that they, in conjunction with the Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad Movement, were targeting concentrations of enemy forces on “Street 10,” south of the Zaytoun neighbourhood, with heavy-calibre mortar shells.
