In its latest application, South Africa is also seeking to force Israel to allow “unimpeded access” to Gaza for aid workers, journalists and investigators.
South Africa laid out its case to the court at The Hague, accusing Israel of escalating what is says is a genocidal campaign against the Palestinians.
The Rafah campaign was “the last step in the destruction of Gaza and its Palestinian people”, South African barrister Vaughan Lowe KC told the court.
“It was Rafah that brought South Africa to the court. But it is all Palestinians as a national, ethnical and racial group who need the protection from genocide that the court can order,” he said.
But, delivering Israel’s response, its Deputy Attorney General, Gilad Noam, said that was an inversion of reality.
“South Africa warns this court that, I quote, ‘if Rafah falls, so too does Gaza’. Once again however, the reality is exactly the opposite,” he said.
“Only by bringing down Hamas’s military stronghold in Rafah will Palestinians be liberated from the clenched grip of the murderous terrorist regime and the road to peace and prosperity may finally be paved.”
The hearing was briefly interrupted when a woman shouted “liars” during the Israeli submission before being removed by security guards.
Meanwhile, in a post on X, Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein called on the ICJ “to reject South Africa’s appeal, external and to bring the abuse of the Court to an end”.
Israel began its attack on Hamas in Rafah 11 days ago, amid warnings from the UN and others of a grave risk to civilians. More than a million displaced people had taken refuge in Rafah and more than 630,000 have now fled from there since the start of the operation, the UN says.
Israel says its offensive in Rafah is necessary in order to destroy the last remaining Hamas battalions which are based there and to rescue some 130 remaining Israeli hostages who it believes are being held there.
