The genocide trial brought by South Africa against Israel continued in The Hague. In Gaza, a pier for aid transport was put into use.
18:45•Updated 19:09
Israel has urged the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague to reject South Africa’s latest demand for a halt to the Rafah offensive and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the entire Gaza Strip.
South Africa presented its claim to the judges of the ICJ yesterday, Thursday. The country justifies its demand by preventing the genocide it sees Israel carrying out in Gaza.
Israel’s Minister of Justice Gilad Noamin according to South Africa’s charges violate the UN Convention on the Prevention of the Crime of Genocide. According to him, South Africa is making a mockery of genocide by accusing Israel of that heinous crime.
Israel believes it has the right to defend its people from Hamas terrorists who attacked Israel on October 7 last year. At that time, Hamas killed more than 1,200 Israeli civilians and took hundreds of hostages.
Noam says that the purpose of the operation that is slowly starting in Rafah is to destroy the last stronghold of the extremist organization Hamas that governs Gaza, not to terrorize civilians.
– There is a tragic war going on in Gaza, but no genocide, Noam stated in The Hague.
Representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Palestinian Authority Ammar Hijazi knock down Noam’s arguments. According to him, Israel is trying to create its own “parallel reality” alongside the truth.
The ICJ is expected to issue a decision in the case next week. The court’s interim rulings are legally binding, but it is unclear whether Israel would comply with them.
Fighting returned to northern Gaza
Fighting continued on Friday in the northern Gaza town of Jabalia. The news agency Reuters describes the battles in the narrow alleys as one of the fiercest in recent weeks.
At the beginning of its ground operation, Israel already managed to evict Hamas from Jabalia once. In recent weeks, however, the organization’s forces have managed to regroup in the city.
– Israel’s focus is now on Jabalia. Tanks and airplanes destroy our residential areas, shops, restaurants and everything else, living in Jabalia Ayman Rajab tells Reuters.
Israel also clashed with Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters on the outskirts of Rafah on Friday.
According to UNRWA, the UN aid organization for Palestinian refugees, 630,000 people have already fled Rafah. Most of them have moved to Deir-al Balah, which is the only city besides Rafah that Israel has not yet attacked. The city is said to be overflowing with people now, and the humanitarian situation is dire.
The first aid shipment arrived at Gaza’s new port
The floating pier built by US forces on the coast of Gaza has now been put into use on Friday. The first aid trucks transported by sea to Gaza drove ashore through the pier at nine o’clock in the morning, says the US Armed Forces headquarters.
The temporary port established in Gaza will ease the aid situation in Gaza, but it will not replace land transport coming through the border crossings, the staff emphasizes. The border crossings are now largely closed due to ongoing fighting.