The International Court of Justice announced on Friday that South Africa had applied to start proceedings regarding claims of genocide against Israel for its war against Hamas in Gaza.
As per the International Court of Justice, South Africa's application accuses Israel of being "in violation of its obligations under the Genocide Convention" and maintains that Israel's "acts and omissions... are genocidal in character, as they are committed with the requisite specific intent... to destroy Palestinians in Gaza."
Since October 7, over 21,507 people have died in Gaza, according to the Health Ministry, which is under the control of Hamas in the enclave.
As per the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, at least 308 individuals who were receiving shelter from the organization are among the deceased.
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Through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Israel has rejected South Africa's claims and application to the World Court, stating that the country "is calling for the destruction of the State of Israel" and that its claim "lacks both a factual and a legal basis."
"Israel is committed to international law and acts in accordance with it, and directs its military efforts only against the Hamas terrorist organization and the other terrorist organizations cooperating with Hamas," its statement said, adding that it has made "every effort to limit harm to the non-involved and to allow humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip."
Following Hamas' deadly terror attacks and abduction spree on October 7, Israel launched an airstrike and ground invasion of Gaza, wreaking havoc throughout the densely populated coastal strip and inciting international condemnation from relief organizations.
Earlier this month, US President Joe Biden declared that Israel was "indiscriminately bombing" Gaza. According to a US intelligence assessment, Israel has deployed nearly half of its air-to-ground weapons in Gaza during its conflict with Hamas, which are commonly referred to as "dumb bombs."
Unguided weapons can be more dangerous for civilians and are usually less accurate.
Numerous bombs used in Gaza have also been tremendous, able to injure or kill people over a thousand feet away, according to an analysis conducted by CNN and the artificial intelligence startup Synthetic.
Heavy munitions like these, according to supporters of Israel's Gaza campaign, operate as bunker busters, assisting in the destruction of Hamas' underground tunnel network.
However, experts say Western armies typically only occasionally employ these bombs. The law of international humanitarian law forbids random bombing.
South Africa's application came as Israel's military said Friday that it is expanding its operations in southern Gaza, where civilians were previously told to seek refuge.
It further asserted that it had demolished one of Yahya Sinwar's "hideout apartments" and a network of tunnels. CNN is unable to confirm the IDF's assertions independently.
