Israel to face genocide charges in Gaza at international court

(Patria) - Israel prepared on Thursday to defend itself at the UN's top court against accusations of genocide in Gaza, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly rejected for the first time calls from some right-wing ministers to permanently occupy the enclave, Reuters reported.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, also known as the World Court, is scheduled to hold hearings on Thursday and Friday in the case brought by South Africa in December, alleging that Israel is violating the 1948 Genocide Convention in its war against Hamas in Gaza.

Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy said on Wednesday: "The State of Israel will appear before the International Court of Justice to reject South Africa's absurd blood libel, as Pretoria provides political and legal cover for Hamas's rapist regime."

The hearings will focus solely on South Africa's request for urgent measures ordering Israel to halt its military operations in Gaza while the court considers the merits of the case – a process that could take years. Colombia and Brazil expressed support for South Africa late on Wednesday.

Ahead of the hearings, Netanyahu stated publicly for the first time that he opposes calls from right-wing members of his government, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, for Palestinians to voluntarily leave Gaza, making way for Israelis to settle there.

"I want to make several things absolutely clear: Israel has no intention of permanently occupying Gaza or displacing its civilian population," Netanyahu told X.

Potentially defining his comments ahead of the ICJ hearings, he added: "Israel is fighting Hamas terrorists, not the Palestinian population, and we are doing so in full compliance with international law."