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fullscreen The Peace Palace that houses the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague. Archive image. Photo: Peter Dejong/AP/TT
Egypt intends to support South Africa’s case in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Israel, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced, according to several media.
According to a statement from the ministry, the decision has been made, among other things, against the background that, according to Egypt, Israel is carrying out increasingly serious and extensive attacks against Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
The ICJ announced in January that the court will take up the case in which South Africa accuses Israel of genocide in the fight against terror-labeled Hamas, following the outbreak of war that came after Hamas’ bloody attack in Israel on October 7. Israel denies the accusations.
Egypt, which was the first Arab country to make peace with Israel in 1978, has, along with Qatar and the United States, taken a leading role in trying to mediate between Israel and Palestinian Hamas in the war.
In recent days, however, Egypt is said to have refused to coordinate aid shipments to Gaza with Israel, citing that the country is facing an “unacceptable escalation”, according to Egyptian media.
The ICJ in The Hague is the UN’s highest court and deals with disputes between states.
Its judgments and decisions are legally binding on states that acceded – including Israel – but in practice the chances of ensuring compliance are slim.