JOHANNESBURG: South Africa has filed “evidence” of a “genocide” committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip with the International Court of Justice, the office of President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday.
The document “contains evidence which shows how the government of Israel has violated the genocide convention by promoting the destruction of Palestinians living in Gaza,” the presidency said in a statement, amid claims vehemently denied by Israel.
An official for the Hague-based court on Monday confirmed it had received the document, but declined to give further detail.
“The evidence will show that undergirding Israel’s genocidal acts is the special intent to commit genocide, a failure by Israel to prevent incitement to genocide, to prevent genocide itself and its failure to punish those inciting and committing acts of genocide,” said the presidency.
The “memorial” — the name of the document detailing South Africa’s case against Israel before the ICJ — cannot be made public but laid out evidence in “over 750 pages of text, supported by exhibits and annexes of over 4,000 pages,” it added.
South Africa in December brought a case before the ICJ, arguing the war in Gaza breached the 1948 United Nations Genocide Convention, an accusation Israel has strongly denied.
Several nations have added their weight to South Africa’s proceedings against Israel, including Spain, Bolivia, Colombia, Mexico, Turkiye, Chile and Libya.
While ICJ rulings are legally binding, the court has no concrete means to enforce them.
Israel’s Gaza campaign has killed at least 43,020 Palestinians, the majority of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-ruled territory’s health ministry, which the UN considers reliable.
The offensive was prompted by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack which resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures that include hostages killed in captivity.
Out of 251 hostages seized by during the attack, 97 are still held in Gaza, including 34 whom the Israeli military says are dead.
South Africa files ‘evidence’ of ‘genocide’ by Israel in ICJ case
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South Africa files ‘evidence’ of ‘genocide’ by Israel in ICJ case
- Several nations have added their weight to South Africa’s proceedings against Israel, including Spain, Bolivia, Colombia, Mexico, Turkiye, Chile and Libya
Syrian authorities bust smuggling ring, tighten border controls
- Smugglers' boat collides with rocks as it attempted to flee pursuing as Coast Guard vessels
- The boat was about to illegally transport passengers from the Syrian coast of Tartus coast to Cyprus
DAMASCUS: Syrian Coast Guard forces have arrested members of a human smuggling network operating in the western town of Tartus, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported Saturday.
Authorities pounced on the smugglers as they were about to transport passengers from the Tartus coast to Cyprus by illegal means, the state media said, citing a statement from the General Authority of Ports and Customs.
"The operation resulted in the arrest of all those involved, including the organizers of the trip," said the report, adding that the smugglers' boat attempted to escape as Coast Guard vessels surrounded it, but collided with rocks.
No details were made available on how many suspects were arrested and how many passengers were rescued. Criminal charges are being prepared against the arrested suspects, SANA said.
New restrictions on commercial transit
In a separate move to regulate trade and border security, the ports and customs authority has issued a new policy restricting truck access at land crossings and seaports.
Commercial trucks will now only be permitted entry for loading or unloading upon presentation of an original receipt from the Ministry of Transport’s freight office.
The transfer of cargo between Syrian and non-Syrian vehicles must now take place strictly within designated customs yards at border crossings.
Trucks passing through Syria in transit remain permitted, provided they are under a mandatory customs escort between entry and exit points.
