South Africa is set to submit a comprehensive memorial to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Monday, bolstering its allegations that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people. The submission includes 750 pages of text, evidence, exhibits, and over 4,000 pages of annexes. Diplomatic sources confirmed the development to various news outlets on Sunday.
An unnamed South African diplomatic source stated that the memorial is set to be filed as scheduled. Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola emphasized to the Daily Maverick that the memorial will present substantial evidence in “forensic detail,” asserting that the situation is not merely a plausible case of genocide but constitutes actual genocide.
Following the submission of the memorial, Israel will be required to respond with a counter-memorial by July 28 of next year.
South Africa initially filed the genocide case against Israel at the Hague-based tribunal in late 2023, accusing Israel of failing to uphold its commitments under the 1948 Genocide Convention amid ongoing bombings in Gaza since last October.
The case has garnered support from several nations, including Türkiye, Nicaragua, Palestine, Spain, Mexico, Libya, and Colombia, and commenced public hearings in January.
In May, the ICJ ordered Israel to cease its military operations in Rafah, marking the third instance the 15-judge panel has issued preliminary orders to mitigate casualties and address the humanitarian crisis in the blockaded area, where the death toll has surpassed 44,000.
