Turkish parliamentary delegation urges ICJ to rule against Israel in genocide case

By Kemal Karadag

The Turkish parliamentary delegation following the South African genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has urged the world court to rule against Israel, which has killed more than 24,000 Palestinians in Gaza since October.

Cuneyt Yuksel, chairman of the Parliamentary Justice Committee, said they expect the UN court based in The Hague to rule that Israel violated the 1948 Genocide Convention in its actions in the blockaded enclave.

"If the case is heard fairly and justly, the ICJ should rule that Israel has violated the Genocide Convention. We are expecting the ICJ to issue an interim measure ordering Israel to stop its attacks on Gaza," Yuksel said.

The evidence presented at the hearings shows Israel has committed acts of genocide against the Palestinians, he said, adding that this includes the killing of civilians, the infliction of serious physical and mental harm, the forcible displacement of people, and the denial of access to food, water and medical care.

The delegation also called for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza and the provision of unhindered humanitarian aid to the region.

South Africa, which brought the case before the ICJ, accused Israeli authorities of perpetrating genocide against Palestinians in Gaza during their military assault. It also requested provisional measures from the court to protect the Palestinian people, including by calling upon Israel to immediately halt military attacks.

The ICJ, after a two-day hearing on Jan. 11-12, said it started deliberating and will issue a decision, the date of which will be announced in "due course."

Israel has launched a relentless military assault on Gaza after a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, which Tel Aviv says killed around 1,200 people.

During Israel’s military campaign, at least 24,448 Palestinians have been killed and 61,504 others injured. The majority of the victims were children and women.

According to the UN, 85% of the population of Gaza is already internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine.