DUBLIN, (TDI): The International Court of Justice (ICJ) announced on Tuesday that Ireland has submitted a declaration to join South Africa’s genocide case against Israel.
“Ireland, invoking Article 63 of the Statute of the Court, filed in the Registry of the Court a declaration of intervention in the case concerning the Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip,” referred to as South Africa versus Israel, the ICJ stated.
Irish Foreign Minister Micheál Martin revealed last month that Ireland would intervene in the case after receiving government approval under the Genocide Convention.
Article 63 of the ICJ Statute allows any state party to a convention under judicial review to intervene, making the court’s interpretation of the convention binding on them.
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The case, initiated by South Africa in December 2023, accuses Israel of violating the Genocide Convention in relation to Palestinians in Gaza. Several countries, including Nicaragua, Colombia, Libya, Mexico, Palestine, Spain, and Türkiye, have also joined the proceedings.
The case comes amid Israel’s ongoing military offensive in Gaza, launched after a Hamas attack in October 2023. Despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, the conflict has persisted, with devastating consequences.
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Local health authorities report that nearly 46,000 people, predominantly women and children, have been killed, and over 105,000 injured.
The blockade of Gaza has caused severe shortages of essential supplies, including food, clean water, and medicine, while almost the entire population of the territory has been displaced.
