South Africa asked the International Court of Justice on Friday to declare that Israel violated its obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention in suppressing Hamas in Gaza.

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA): According to Reuters news agency, the International Court of Justice, which is also known as the World Court, is the authority of the United Nations to resolve disputes between governments. Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded that this complaint was "groundless".

According to South Africa's lawsuit, Israel is in violation of its obligations under the Anti-Genocide Treaty, which was drafted in the wake of the Holocaust. This treaty makes it a crime to attempt to destroy people in whole or in part.

South Africa asked the court to order Israel to stop its military operations in Gaza. It said action in this case was "necessary to protect against further, severe and irreparable harm to the rights of the Palestinian people."

No date has been set for the court hearing.

While the International Court of Justice in The Hague is considered the highest court of the United Nations, its rulings are sometimes ignored. In March 2022, the court ordered Russia to immediately stop its military operations in Ukraine.

Israel denies the accusations
The war began on October 7, when Hamas killed 1,200 people in an attack on Israel and captured 240, according to Israeli figures. Palestinian health officials say Israel responded by attacking Hamas-ruled Gaza, killing more than 21,000 people.

In its first response to South Africa's complaint, Israel's Foreign Ministry blamed Hamas for the suffering of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip by using them as human shields and stealing humanitarian aid from them, charges Hamas denies.

The ministry's statement said: "Israel has clearly stated that the residents of the Gaza Strip are not enemies and is doing its best to limit harm to non-combatants."

Palestine, whose government is disputed, but the court considers it to have the status of "observer state", said that it welcomes South Africa's complaint.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Palestine announced in a statement: "The court must act immediately to support the Palestinian people and ask Israel, the occupying power, to stop its aggression."

The request to the court is the latest move by South Africa, a critic of Israel's war, to increase pressure after the country's lawmakers voted last month to close the Israeli embassy in Pretoria and suspend diplomatic relations.

In a statement from South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation, the government announced that the request against Israel was filed on Friday.

The statement said: "Israel has failed to prevent genocide especially since October 7, 2023, and has failed to pursue direct and public incitement to genocide."

South Africa has for decades supported the Palestinian cause for statehood in Israeli-occupied territories, comparing the plight of Palestinians to the black majority of South Africa during the repressive apartheid era, a comparison Israel vehemently rejects.

Another court in The Hague, the International Criminal Court, is separately investigating crimes in Gaza and the West Bank, but has not named any suspects. Israel is not a member of the International Criminal Court and does not accept its jurisdiction.