End Gaza War - World Court Move By South Africa Steps Up Pressure

The introduction of South Africa's 84-page founding statement in its application to the World Court makes clear in the first paragraph that it ''unequivocally condemns all violations of international law by all parties, including the direct targeting of Israeli civilians and other nationals and hostage-taking by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups''.

However, it goes on to say that ''No armed attack on a State's territory no matter how serious -- even an attack involving atrocity crimes -- can... provide any possible justification for, or defence to, breaches of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide ('Genocide Convention' or 'Convention'), whether as a matter of law or morality, writes John Allen for allAfrica.

This comes a month after the governments of Egypt and Mauritania invoked the UN's significant Resolution 377, known as 'Uniting for Peace'.

The two nations said it was ''urgent that the UN General Assembly convene to address this crisis, in accordance with resolution 377 (V) (1950), as rapidly as possible''.

This comes after officials at the National Assembly in South Africa adopted a motion calling for government to close the Israeli Embassy in South Africa and suspend all diplomatic relations with Israel with an approved amendment by the ruling African National Congress.

Israel began major ground operations in the Gaza Strip on October 28, 2023 after an attack in Israel by Hamas.

Human Rights Watch reports that the last major Israeli ground operation into Gaza in July and August 2014, saw Israeli forces commit numerous violations of the laws of war - including fatally firing on civilians - that amounted to war crimes. These violations were never prosecuted, the organisation said.