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Published January 11, 2024last updated January 11, 2024South Africa is asking the International Court of Justice to compel Israel to halt its military operations in Gaza. Meanwhile, the UN Security Council demanded Houthis stop attacks on ships in the Red Sea. DW has more.
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South Africa has asked the court to order a suspension of the military offensive in Gaza Image: Ohad Zwigenberg/AP/picture alliance Skip next section What you need to knowWhat you need to know Israel faces accusations from South Africa at the International Court of Justice, that it has committed “genocidal” acts in Gaza Israel has dismissed South Africa’s accusation and said it operates in accordance with international law The UN Security Council approved a resolution demanding an end to Houthi attacks on vessels in the Red Sea Skip next section UN relief chief says deadly strike on ambulance ‘devastating’January 11, 2024
UN relief chief says deadly strike on ambulance ‘devastating’UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said the rules of war must be upheld, after the Palestinian Red Crescent announcement that four paramedics were killed in an Israeli airstrike on an ambulance in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday.
“The rules of war are clear: Parties must protect civilians, including humanitarian workers,” he posted on X, formerly Twitter.
The Red Crescent ambulance was hit on Salah al-Din Street, a major north-south axis in central Gaza.
Two passengers in the ambulance were wounded and later died.
Israel’s military did not immediately comment on the incident.
https://p.dw.com/p/4b6NmSkip next section Houthis defend Red Sea attacks after UN Security Council resolutionJanuary 11, 2024
Houthis defend Red Sea attacks after UN Security Council resolutionThe UN Security Council approved a resolution Wednesday demanding an immediate end of attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on ships in the Red Sea.
The resolution, sponsored by the United States and Japan, condemned “in the strongest terms” at least two dozen attacks carried out by the Iran-backed rebels on merchant and commercial vessels.
Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, head of Yemen’s Houthi supreme revolutionary committee, described the actions as self-defense.
“We call on the Security Council to immediately release 2.3 Million people from the Israeli-American siege in Gaza,” he said in a post on social media.
Since war erupted between Israel and Hamas on October 7, the Houthis have launched 26attacks on ships in the Red Sea in support of their Islamist allies in Hamas.
https://p.dw.com/p/4b6HRSkip next section South Africa takes Israel to ICJ over ‘genocide’ accusationJanuary 11, 2024
South Africa takes Israel to ICJ over ‘genocide’ accusationThe International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, also known as the World Court, will begin two days of hearings on Thursday in a case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of not complying with its obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention.
South Africa will get to make its case on Thursday that Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza was “intended to bring about the destruction of a substantial part of the Palestinian national, racial and ethnical group.”
Israel has chosen to defend itself, and will be given a change on Friday of “using self defense… under international humanitarian law.”
South Africa claims Israel’s war against the Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas in Gaza violates the 1948 Genocide Convention.
South Africa has acknowledged the “particular weight of responsibility” of accusing Israel of genocide and “unequivocally” condemned the Hamas attacks that touched off the war in Gaza.
It has asked the court to order a series of emergency measures including a suspension of military action in Gaza while the court hears the case on the merits.
“Tomorrow, the State of Israel will appear before the International Court of Justice to dispel South Africa’s absurd blood libel, as Pretoria gives political and legal cover to the Hamas Rapist Regime,” Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy said on Wednesday.
Israeli forces launched its military operation in Gaza after Hamas militants carried out a cross-border terror attack on Israel on October 7 in which 1,200 people were killed and 240 abducted.
Since then more than 23,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war, the Health Ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory has said.
While the Health Ministry doesn’t differentiate between civilian and combatant deaths, international humanitarian agencies consider the numbers provided by the body to be broadly reliable.
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https://p.dw.com/p/4b6HQSkip next section Netanyahu says Gaza war ‘in full compliance’ with international law January 11, 2024
Netanyahu says Gaza war ‘in full compliance’ with international law Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country’s war in Gaza is in “full compliance” with international law.
He also said Israel had no intention of permanently occupying the Gaza Strip or expelling the civilian population.
“Our goal is to rid Gaza of Hamas terrorists and free our hostages. Once this is achieved, Gaza can be demilitarized and de-radicalized,” Netanyahu said.
He made the remarks a day before the International Court of Justice begins a hearing on a South African complaint that Israel is committing genocide.
“The IDF is doing its utmost to minimize civilian casualties, while Hamas is doing its utmost to maximize them by using Palestinian civilians as human shields,” Netanyahu said.
Meanwhile, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa described the case as a matter of principle.
“Our opposition to the ongoing slaughter of the people of Gaza has driven us as a country to approach the ICJ,” he said on Wednesday.
“As a people who once tasted the bitter fruits of dispossession, discrimination, racism and state-sponsored violence, we are clear that we will stand on the right side of history,” he said.
rmt/lo (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)
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