Hamas Thanks South Africa for Filing Anti-“Israeli” Genocide Case At ICJ

By Staff, Agencies

The Palestinian resistance movement of Hamas expresses gratitude towards South Africa for the latter's taking legal proceedings against the apartheid “Israeli” regime over Tel Aviv's ongoing genocidal war against the Gaza Strip.

Izzat al-Rishq, a member of Hamas' Political Bureau, made the remarks on Thursday when the International Court of Justice [ICJ] held its first hearing in the case that was lodged by Pretoria with the tribunal in late December.

Rishq said the evidence that Pretoria had presented at the court "proved to the entire world that the Zionist regime had resorted to mass killings and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people in Gaza."

"Once again, South Africa proved the authenticity of its principled position of support for the Palestinian nation," the Hamas official stated.

Pretoria, he added, "proved that it is against the Zionist regime's savage crimes against our nation and its legitimate rights."

The apartheid “Israeli” entity launched the war on October 7 in response to Operation Al-Aqsa Flood conducted by Gaza's resistance groups.

Since the start of the United States-backed offensive, the regime has killed at least 23,210 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured more than 59,167 others. Thousands more are also missing and presumed dead under the rubble.

South Africa stipulated at the hearing that the entity’s response to the October 7 operation had breached the United Nations Genocide Convention, presenting evidence of genocidal brutality being perpetrated by the regime in Gaza.

South Africa says the “Israeli” entity’s response to Hamas offensive on October 7 had breached Genocide Convention, as proceedings at the ICJ have started.

Taking the floor, Adila Hassim, the advocate representing South Africa’s case, noted that the regime had "deployed 6,000 bombs per week" throughout the offensive.

"At least 200 times, it has deployed 2,000-pound [907-kilogram] bombs in southern Gaza, which it [had] designated [as] safe," she added. "No one is spared. Not even newborns. UN chiefs have described it as a graveyard for children."