Turkish delegation at The Hague to follow genocide case against Israel at ICJ

By Selman Aksunger

THE HAGUE (AA) — A Turkish parliamentary delegation has arrived in The Hague to monitor hearings of the genocide case filed by the South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Thursday.

The delegation arrived a day ahead of the hearings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), led the parliament's Justice Committee chief Cuneyt Yuksel.

Yuksel told Anadolu that over the two days that the hearings are expected to last, the lawmakers would hold talks with government officials, diplomats, human rights groups' representatives, and legal professionals from various parts of the world who will also be following the case.

Welcoming the case filed by South Africa, aiming for provisional measures to halt Israel's onslaught on the Gaza Strip, Yuksel said Israel has been escalating its violations of international law in Palestinian territories since Oct. 7.

He emphasized the importance of the lawsuit to stop these violations, adding that those responsible must be held accountable under international law.

Israel violated the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide at multiple points since 1948, Yuksel asserted.

"Israel's killing of over 23,000 Palestinians, the majority of whom are women and children, in Gaza during this period of more than three months should not go unanswered, and those responsible must be held accountable under international law," he added.

"After the hearings for interim measures are completed on Friday, we expect the judges to announce their decisions as soon as possible and rule on the requested interim measures," he said.

Yuksel highlighted that ending Israel's attacks would be essential for achieving international peace and security.

Expressing hope that the ICJ trial will be completed as soon as possible, Yuksel highlighted Türkiye's continuous efforts since the early days after Oct. 7 both for the passage of humanitarian aid and the establishment of lasting peace.

The Turkish delegation also includes EU Joint Parliamentary Committee head Ismail Emrah Karayel and Constitutional Committee member Cahit Ozkan.

Public hearings in South Africa's genocide case against Israel began on Thursday at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague.

On the first day of the trial, South Africa will be presenting hard evidence in the case it filed on Dec. 29, accusing Israel of genocide and violation of the UN Genocide Convention with its actions in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7.

Israel has pounded Gaza since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, killing at least 23,357 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring 59,410 others, according to health authorities.

Around 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas offensive.

About 85% of Gazans have been displaced, while all of the population is food insecure, according to the UN. Hundreds of thousands of people are living without shelter, and ⁠less than half of the aid trucks are entering the territory than before the start of the conflict.