December 24, 2025 | 02:52 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Belgium has officially joined the case filed by South Africa at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) accusing Israel of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip.
In a statement on Tuesday, as reported by Al Jazeera, the ICJ—the highest court of the United Nations based in The Hague—said that Belgium has filed a declaration of intervention in the case.
Other countries, including Brazil, Colombia, Ireland, Mexico, Spain, and Turkey, have joined the proceedings.
South Africa filed this case in December 2023, arguing that Israel's onslaught on Gaza violated the 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Israel has rejected these allegations.
Although the final ruling could take years, ICJ issued provisional measures in January 2024, ordering Israel to take steps to prevent genocidal actions in Gaza and to allow unimpeded access for humanitarian aid.
The court's order is legally binding despite lacking direct enforcement mechanisms.
The ICJ also stated that Israel's presence in the occupied Palestinian territories is unlawful and its policy is tantamount to annexation.
Israel continues its genocidal attacks on Gaza and the occupied West Bank despite growing international criticism, while continuing to advance plans to seize most of the Palestinian territories.
Meanwhile, the United States and some of its European allies continue to provide military and financial support to Israel.
Washington has rejected South Africa's lawsuit, and US lawmakers have criticized the country and issued threats against it.
The US has also imposed sanctions on members of the International Criminal Court (ICC), including several judges, who have issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Belgium was also among the group of countries that recognized the State of Palestine in September. Almost 80 percent of UN member states now recognize Palestine.
Since the ceasefire began on October 10, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said that Israel has killed at least 406 Palestinian civilians and injured 1,118 in the enclave. Since the start of the war on October 7, 2023, the ministry said at least 70,942 Palestinians have been killed and 171,195 injured.
Read: Israel Kills 411 Palestinians in Gaza Since Ceasefire Agreement
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