The South African government said it has asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to consider whether Israel's decision to extend military operations in Rafah requires the court to use its authority to prevent further violations of Palestinian rights, the government's statement said.
According to the statement, the South African government expressed concern in the application that the Israeli offensive on the city has already resulted and will result in large-scale killing, damage and destruction.
"In a request submitted to the court yesterday (12 February 2024), the South African government said it was gravely concerned that the unprecedented military offensive against Rafah, as announced by the State of Israel, has already led to and will result in further large scale killing, harm and destruction," the government said.
Pretoria added that such action by the Jewish State would be "in serious and irreparable breach both of the Genocide Convention and of the Court's Order of 26 January 2024."
On January 26, the ICJ ruled on provisional measures in South Africa's case against Israel for alleged genocide in the Gaza Strip . The court ordered Israel to take urgent measures to prevent acts of genocide and to ensure the flow of humanitarian aid to the enclave.
South Africa filed a complaint against Israel with the court on December 29. Pretoria asked the court to take precautionary measures to "protect the Palestinian population from further grave and irreparable violations of its rights under the Genocide Convention" and to ensure Israel's compliance with its obligations under the Convention.
Israel has been pounding Rafah for several days in preparation for a ground offensive aimed at rooting out Hamas. The city is the last refuge for over a million Palestinians who were told to relocate south during the past four months of the Israeli military operation in the enclave.