In a sign of increasing frustration over Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip, neighboring Egypt now wants to join South Africa’s genocide lawsuit against Israel. The move comes “in view of the increasing intensity” and growing scale of Israeli attacks in Gaza, the Foreign Ministry in Cairo said yesterday.
This also included attacks against civilians and the destruction of infrastructure in the coastal area, which led to the displacement of Palestinians and an “unprecedented humanitarian crisis,” it said.
Israel rejects the accusation
At the end of December, South Africa sued Israel before the International Court of Justice for alleged violations of the Genocide Convention committed in the Gaza war. The UN court ruled in an interim ruling that Israel must take protective measures to prevent genocide.
Israel has repeatedly rejected allegations of genocide. The country invokes the right to self-defense after the massacres by the Islamist Hamas and other extremist Palestinian organizations in Israel on October 7, 2023.
Concern about strong migration
Egypt was the first Arab country to make peace with Israel in 1979. The country also supports Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip. The Gaza war is putting the relationship between the two countries to a tough test.
The government in Cairo is worried that if the Israeli offensive in Rafah in the southern part of Gaza expands, large numbers of Palestinians could cross the border into Egypt.
USA wants to investigate possible violations
Meanwhile, the US government wants to carry out further investigations after the publication of a report on possible violations of international law by Israel. “So we have a number of incidents that we continue to investigate to get the best possible assessment,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on US television today.
With regard to the use of US weapons in the Gaza war, there is concern about incidents “where, given the totality of the harm inflicted on children, women and men”, the assessment is justified that Israel is in certain cases in one acted in a manner that was inconsistent with international law. However, the military environment is “complex”, which is why no final assessment can be made.