Amnesty International has stated that the International Court of Justice's hearings on Israel's alleged violations of the Genocide Convention are an essential step toward helping protect Palestinian civilians. The organization considers these deliberations can aid in safeguarding Palestinian civilians, bringing an end to the humanitarian disaster in the occupied Gaza Strip, and offering a ray of hope for achieving international justice.
According to the organization, South Africa has filed a petition claiming that Israel's actions, as well as its inaction related to Palestinians in Gaza, bear the hallmarks of genocide. The petition urges the court to order "provisional measures" to protect the Palestinian people in Gaza, including calling upon Israel to immediately cease military attacks that "constitute or result in violations of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide," and to revoke related policies that amount to collective punishment and forced displacement.
Although Amnesty has not concluded that the situation in Gaza amounts to genocide, the organization has noted alarming indicators and omens considering the scale of death and massive destruction. Over 23,000 Palestinians were killed within just over three months, and an additional 10,000 are presumed dead under the rubble. Furthermore, there has been a horrifying escalation in racist rhetoric by some Israeli government and military officials, dehumanizing Palestinians.
The organization added that all these issues have coincided with Israel's imposition of an illegal blockade on Gaza, severely hindering or restricting civilian population’s access to water, food, medical aid, and fuel, inflicting unimaginable levels of suffering and putting the survival of those inside Gaza at risk.
