Presiding Judge Nawaf Salam reads the ruling in the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands   (Photo by AP)

The Hague, April 18 (RHC)-- In what observers describe as a worrying development, the Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ) has agreed to postpone proceedings in the case brought by South Africa against Israel over the regime's relentless brutal military campaign and barbarism in the besieged Gaza Strip.

South Africa has filed a detailed submission to the ICJ outlining evidence of Israel’s violation of the 1948 Genocide Convention during its barbarism in the besieged Gaza Strip.

As a result, Israel will now have until January 12, 2026, to respond to South Africa’s claims, pushing the deadline back by six months from the original July 2025 date.

Media reports quoting Western sources reported that South Africa submitted evidence accusing Israel of genocide, without giving Israel access to review the materials.  Israel subsequently filed a series of formal objections.

Initially, South Africa was required to submit its evidence by October 2024, but due to the procedural objections, that submission was delayed and is now expected to be filed by mid-April 2025.

Legal experts and activists said that the fact that the ICJ allowed Israel to make such a transparently dishonest ploy to buy time for its genocide despite the strong objections of South Africa is cause for deep concern.

South Africa brought its case before the top UN court in December 2023, accusing Israel of violating the Genocide Convention, during the Gaza aggression since October 2023.  The 84-page application alleged that Israel has committed acts intended to wipe out the Palestinians.

In October last year, South Africa filed a detailed submission to the ICJ outlining evidence of Israel’s violation of the 1948 Genocide Convention during its aggression in the blockaded region.

The South African presidency, in a statement back then said the evidence had been presented in more than 750 pages of text, in addition to over 4,000 pages of annexes. The submission, also called a memorial, includes evidence of acts of genocide and genocidal intent.

The evidence included statements by Israeli officials expressing “genocidal intent,” and a list of how Israel's alleged actions had met the definition of genocide.

The acts include killings, causing serious bodily and mental harm; mass expulsion and displacement; and deprivation of access to adequate food, water, shelter, clothes, hygiene, and medical assistance.

On January 26, the ICJ said it was plausible that Israel had breached the Genocide Convention. As an emergency measure, it ordered Israel to ensure that its army refrained from genocidal acts against the Palestinians.

Several states have requested intervention in South Africa's case, including Bolivia, the Maldives, Chile, Turkey, Spain, Mexico, Libya, Colombia and Nicaragua.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Criminal Court for its war on the besieged Palestinian territory.

In November 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war minister, Yoav Gallant, for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

A series of UN queries have already accused Israel of committing war crimes and the crime against humanity of extermination in Gaza through its systematic attacks on the healthcare system.

[ SOURCE:  AL JAZEERA and ASSOCIATED PRESS ]