South Africa brings 'benchmark' genocide case before ICJ, order for a Gaza ceasefire 'unlikely'

A continent away from the war in Gaza, South Africa accused Israel of committing genocide against the Palestinians there and pleaded with the United Nations’ top court on Thursday to order an immediate halt to the country’s military operation. Israel has vehemently denied the allegations. South African lawyers said during the opening arguments that the latest Gaza war is part of a decadeslong oppression of the Palestinians by Israel. The two-day hearing is the public side of a landmark case, one of the most significant to be heard in an international court and which goes to the heart of one of the world's most intractable conflicts. South Africa is seeking binding preliminary orders to compel Israel to stop its military campaign in Gaza, in which more than 23,000 people have died, according to the health ministry which is run by Hamas. As the landmark case begins, FRANCE 24's Jean-Emile Jammine is joined by Rosa Freedman, Professor of Law Conflict and Global Development and the Director of the Global Development Division at the University of Reading.