151 people who came into contact with the victim are under observation to prevent the spread of the deadly virus
world10 hours ago
Israel will appear before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at the Hague to contest South Africa's genocide accusations over the war with Hamas in Gaza, an Israeli government spokesman said on Tuesday.
South Africa asked the ICJ on Friday for an urgent order declaring that Israel was in breach of its obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention in its crackdown against Hamas.
"The State of Israel will appear before the International Court of Justice at The Hague to dispel South Africa's absurd blood libel," spokesman Eylon Levy told an online briefing.
Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.
"We assure South Africa's leaders, history will judge you, and it will judge you without mercy," Levy said.
The ICJ, sometimes known as the World Court, is the United Nations venue for resolving disputes between states. Israel's foreign ministry has said the suit was "baseless."
The war was triggered by a cross-border attack by Hamas Islamist militants on Oct. 7, which Israel says killed 1,200 people.
Israel responded with an air and land assault that has killed more than 22,000 people, Palestinian health officials say. While its casualty figures do not differentiate between fighters and civilians, the ministry has said that 70 per cent of Gaza's dead are women and those under 18. Israel disputes Palestinian casualty figures and says it has killed 8,000 fighters.
Levy listed a series of measures Israel's military has taken to minimize harm to non-combatants.
He said Hamas bore full moral responsibility for the war it started and was "waging from inside and underneath hospitals, schools, mosques, homes and UN facilities," Levy said.
He added, without elaborating, that South Africa was complicit in Hamas' crimes against Israelis.
Hamas denies using Gaza's population as human shields.
ALSO READ:
151 people who came into contact with the victim are under observation to prevent the spread of the deadly virus
world10 hours ago
Her cheeky expressions and playful frolicking racked up millions of views and have lured thousands of visitors wanting to witness her antics
world1 day ago
China issues red alert, warns of gales and heavy rain
world1 day ago
Celebrity endorsements rarely carry enormous weight, but the hugely popular Swift is seen as being in a class of her own
world1 day ago
Brazil has been parched by a historic drought that experts link to climate change and which has sparked what authorities have called a 'fire pandemic'
world1 day ago
Generative artificial intelligence uses 30 times more energy than a traditional search engine
world1 day ago
SalamAir flight from Bangladesh's Chittagong was diverted to Nagpur Airport following a medical emergency
world1 day ago
The Dragon spacecraft landed in the ocean at 3.37am, a webcast of the splashdown showed, with a recovery team deploying in the pre-dawn darkness to retrieve the capsule and crew
world1 day ago