Gaza Herald – South Africa has submitted a comprehensive filing to the International Court of Justice documenting Israel’s continued violations of the court’s provisional measures issued in the genocide case over Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.
South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation said the filing was submitted under Article 11 of the court’s internal judicial procedures. It stressed that the provisional measures ordered by the ICJ are legally binding on Israel.
The ministry said Palestinians who have survived Israel’s attacks are facing further trauma as they are increasingly confined to shrinking areas and forced to endure intolerable humanitarian conditions. South Africa said Israel has failed to comply with the court’s orders and vowed to pursue every available avenue to secure their full and immediate implementation.
The provisional measures are intended to protect the rights of Palestinians under the Genocide Convention and prevent those rights from being irreparably harmed before the court issues its final ruling. South Africa said the measures require Israel to take all steps within its power to prevent acts prohibited under the convention and prevent genocidal acts against Palestinians in Gaza.
The case was brought by South Africa on December 29, 2023, accusing Israel of violating its obligations under the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Pretoria asked the court to intervene urgently as Israel’s assault inflicted massive civilian casualties, destruction, and a deepening humanitarian catastrophe across Gaza.
The ICJ subsequently issued provisional measures in January, March, and May 2024. South Africa has continued to rely on those binding orders as it presses Israel to meet its legal obligations, arguing that developments on the ground demonstrate continued violations despite the court’s directives.
According to figures cited in the South African statement, around 1,316 Palestinians have been killed and more than 4,361 wounded since the Gaza ceasefire took effect in October 2025, while rescue teams have recovered 815 bodies from beneath the rubble.
Since Israel launched its genocide on Gaza on October 7, 2023, 73,452 Palestinians have been killed and 174,472 wounded, according to Gaza health authorities. Around 90% of the Strip’s civilian infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, while the United Nations has estimated that reconstruction could cost roughly $70 billion.
South Africa’s latest filing does not constitute a final judgment on whether Israel committed genocide. It is part of the ongoing legal proceedings aimed at enforcing the ICJ’s provisional protections while the court considers the substance of the case. For Palestinians in Gaza, however, South Africa argues that those protections are urgently needed as Israeli attacks, destruction, and humanitarian suffering continue.
