Turkey To Back South Africa's Genocide Claims Against Israel At World Court

Amid rising tensions in the Middle East, Turkey has said it will join hands with South Africa and support the genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

Speaking at a news conference in Cairo, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated on Monday that Turkey will submit a formal declaration of intervention.

The declaration is expected around 1:30 PM GMT and will be presented to the World Court at the Hague.

Turkey had announced in May that it would join the case against Israel at the ICJ. Three months later, Ankara will be submitting its formal legal bid to the ICJ.

South Africa filed a case with the International Court of Justice in November 2023, accusing Israel of violating the Genocide Convention of 1948 amid its bombardment of Gaza.

South Africa filed a case before the ICJ in late 2023 accusing Israel of violating the Genocide Convention of 1948. The Genocide Convention was established in the aftermath of the Holocaust and outlines rules for countries to prevent the recurrence of such crimes.

The case was brought up in January 2024 and the World Court ruled in favour of South Africa and urged Israel to scale back its offensive in the Gaza Strip.

When the order was issued, the death toll in Gaza stood at 26,083 people with over 64,400 people injured in Gaza and West Bank. As the war enters its tenth month, the death toll in Gaza stands at around 40,000. Of this, majority of the death toll has been attributed to women and children.

South Africa's case against Israel has now been backed by at least 13 countries before the World Court. These are -

1. Nicaragua

2. Turkey

3. Belgium

4. Colombia

5. Libya

6. Egypt

7. Maldives

8. Mexico

9. Ireland

10. Chile

11. Palestine

12. Spain

Despite ICJ's ruling and the mounting death toll, Israel and its Western Allies have continued to deny the allegations of genocide.