Egypt plans to join South Africa’s genocide petition against Israel at the International Court of Justice, its Foreign Ministry announced on Sunday, as part of its campaign to force Israel to halt a pending major military operation in Rafah.
Israel’s attacks on Gaza, Egypt said, “include deliberate targeting of civilians, infrastructure destruction, forced displacement, and creating unbearable living conditions, leading to an unprecedented humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
“These actions constitute a flagrant violation of international law, humanitarian law, and the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 regarding the protection of civilians during wartime,” the Foreign Ministry stated.
Egypt calls for Israel to stop military campaign in Rafah
Egypt spoke up two days after South Africa turned to the ICJ and asked that it order Israel to stop its military operation in Rafah.
“Not only is there nowhere for the 1.5 million people and others in Rafah solely to flee to – so much of Gaza having been reduced to rubble – if Rafah is similarly destroyed there will be little left of it or the prospect for the survival of Palestinian life in the territory,” South Africa wrote to the court.
South Africa asked the court to ensure that Israel allow the unimpeded entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Israel has insisted that a Rafah operation is necessary to defeat Hamas but has not responded to Egypt’s decision to join South Africa’s case.
The ICJ in January had already demanded that Israel provide humanitarian assistance to Gaza. It also ordered Israel to refrain from any acts that could fall under the Genocide Convention and to ensure its troops commit no genocidal acts against Palestinians.
A request for provisional measures can occur in advance of any ICJ ruling on the issue. The ICJ is weighing whether Israel’s actions in Gaza violate the 1948 convention on the prevention of genocide, but it is only at the initial stages of the procedure.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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