By Zukile Majova
President Cyril Ramaphosa has confirmed that South Africa is going back to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in a bid to stop Israel’s planned attack on Rafah.
As part of its bombardment of Gaza, which is estimated to have killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, Israel has issued an instruction for civilians to get out of Rafah, a city in the south of Gaza where many Palestinians sought refuge after the destruction of Gaza City in the north.
Ramaphosa said the planned attack on Rafah was a big concern to the South African government, which has decided to approach the ICJ once again to “issue an injunction to stop the slaughter of Palestinians in Rafah”.
“We see this as collective punishment, and something must be done to stop what is happening with so many Palestinians being killed – women and children and civilians.
“That is why we are going, once again, to the International Court of Justice, and we do hope that this time Israel will heed the injunction of the international court,” said Ramaphosa.
The ICJ will hold public hearings on Thursday and Friday on South Africa’s latest request for additional provisional measures against Israel.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he was appalled by the escalation of military activity in and around Rafah by the Israeli Defence Forces.
“These developments are further impeding humanitarian access and making an already dire situation worse.
“At the same time, Hamas goes on firing rockets indiscriminately. Civilians must be respected and protected at all times in Rafah and elsewhere in Gaza. For people in Gaza, nowhere is safe now,” Guterres said.
Meanwhile, Egypt has joined Colombia and Turkey, who have thrown their weight behind South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the ICJ.
Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “These attacks include deliberate targeting of civilians, infrastructure destruction, forced displacement, and creating unbearable living conditions, leading to an unprecedented humanitarian crisis in Gaza.”
Pictured above: President Ramaphosa.
Image source: X
