The Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, expressed on Wednesday that the US positions on the lawsuit filed by South Africa to prosecute Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) show disregard for international law.
In a statement, the movement said that "the positions expressed by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on South Africa's lawsuit, along with the US stances on this matter, are an attempt to disrupt the tools of international justice from performing their role, in the context of their full support for the massacres committed by the occupation against civilians in the Gaza Strip."
Hamas also renewed its call for the US administration to cease its policies that prolong the duration of aggression and genocide committed in the Gaza Strip, according to the statement.
Furthermore, the movement urged Washington to "immediately act to stop this criminal aggression and refrain from tampering with international laws and regulations for the benefit of the terrorist Zionist entity and its war crimes."
On Tuesday, Blinken, following discussions with officials in Israel, stated that South Africa's lawsuit "distracts from efforts to contain the escalation" in the Gaza Strip.
He noted that the United States believes "the genocide lawsuit filed by South Africa against Israel before the ICJ is baseless."
The ICJ is set to begin hearing the positions of Israel and South Africa over two days, starting Thursday, aimed at prosecuting Tel Aviv for committing "genocidal crimes" in the Gaza Strip, which has faced harsh aggression for over three months.
The court, the principal judicial body of the United Nations, is expected to decide later on how its proceedings will be conducted in this case.
On December 29th, South Africa filed a judicial lawsuit at the ICJ.
Previously, South Africa suspended its relations with Israel on November 21st, 2023, in protest against its destructive war in Gaza. This was preceded by the recall of the South African ambassador to Israel for consultations regarding the attacks on the Strip, which is experiencing an unprecedented humanitarian disaster.
Since October 7th, 2023, the Israeli military has launched an offensive on Gaza, which has resulted in 23,357 martyrs as of Tuesday, in addition to 59,410 wounded, most of whom are children and women. This has led to "enormous destruction in the infrastructure and an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe," according to the Strip's authorities and the United Nations.
