South Africa’s Minister of Justice Robert Lamola accused Israel of acts of genocide at the International Court of Justice in The Hague:

“‘In extending our hands across the miles to the people of Palestine, we do so in full knowledge that we are part of a humanity that is at one’ — these were the words of our founding president, Nelson Mandela. This is the spirit in which South Africa acceded to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crime of Genocide in 1998. This is the spirit in which we approach this court as a contracting party to the Convention. This is a commitment to owe to the people of Palestine and Israelis alike. As previously mentioned, the violence and the destruction in Palestine and Israel did not begin on the 7th of October 2023. The Palestinians have experienced systematic oppression and violence for the last 76 years — on 6 October 2023 and every day since 7 October 2023.”