Israel has rejected allegations levied by South Africa that its campaign against Hamas amounts to genocide against the Palestinian people on the second day of hearings at International Court of Justice(ICJ).
In response to South Africa’s allegations, Israel has said if anything, it is Hamas that is guilty of genocide, AP reported.
South Africa has been urging the International Court of Justice to order an immediate suspension of Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip.
It's unclear if Israel would comply with any court order, the report said.
US, British armies launch strikes on Houthis:
Meanwhile, the US and British militaries have launched strikes on sites used by the Iran-backed Houthi rebel group in Yemen in retaliation for their attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
The Houthis say their attacks are aimed at stopping Israel's war on Hamas, but their targets increasingly have little or no connection to Israel and imperil a crucial trade route linking Asia and the Middle East with Europe, AP reported.
The October 7 Hamas attack from Gaza into southern Israel that triggered the war killed around 1,200 people and saw some 250 others taken hostage by militants.
The report said Israel's air, ground and sea assault in Gaza has killed more than 23,000 people, some 70% of them women and children, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory.
US says it launched attack on another Houthi site:
The US military has struck another Houthi-controlled site in Yemen that was determined to be putting commercial vessels in the Red Sea at risk, AP reported.
UN says Israel’s Gaza displacement order amounts to ‘war crime’:
UN has reportedly said that Israel's orders for massive displacement of more than 1 million people in Gaza without ensuring access to food, health care, shelter or safety fail to meet international legal requirements and “potentially amount to forcible transfer, a war crime”.
Germany to join ICJ on Israel’s behalf:
Germany has reportedly said that its government will request to join the International Court of Justice(ICJ) case as third party on Israel's behalf.
Germany said saying there is “no basis whatsoever” for genocide accusations, AP reported.
The report quoting legal experts mentioned if Germany files a declaration of intervention in the case, it will be able to make legal arguments to support Israel at the merits phase of this case to address how the genocide convention should be interpreted.
Israel kills 3 Palestinians in West Bank:
The Israeli army has said it killed three Palestinian men who infiltrated a West Bank settlement and fired on soldiers, AP reported.
Iran praises Houthis:
Iran's foreign minister has praised Yemen's Houthi rebels for their support for the Palestinians in Gaza, an apparent reference to Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping that the Houthis say are aimed at stopping Israel's war on Hamas.
However, Hossein Amir Abdollahian also said in a post on X that the Houthis are “fully committed to marine and shipping security,” without elaborating.
