The South African government has asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate the Israeli government for alleged war crimes in Gaza, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced during a two-day visit to Qatar.
The request was made “along with many other countries in the world” against Israel, which has not ratified the Rome Statute, the treaty establishing the ICC, President Ramaphosa said.
President Ramaphosa said that South Africa, which actively supports Palestinian sovereignty, does not support Hamas attacks on Isreal, but insisted that Israel’s response amounted to genocide and required an ICC investigation
Colombian President Gustavo Petro said last week that Bogota would ask the court to prosecute Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu for the “massacre” of civilians in Gaza
Israel declared war on Hamas last month following an attack on Israeli territory by Palestinian militants that killed an estimated 1,200 people. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has been bombing Gaza for more than a month.
The Palestinian Health Ministry in Ramallah announced that more than 11,200 people have been killed in Gaza since hostilities began and another 2,700 are missing
Earlier this month, South Africa, along with Chad, Jordan, Bahrain, Honduras, Colombia, Bolivia, and Turkey, summoned diplomats from Tel Aviv in response to Israeli actions in Gaza.