Amsterdam, 4 January 2024 (dpa/MIA) - For the first time since the beginning of the Gaza-Israel war in October, Israel must face the accusation of genocide before an international court, with hearings based on a South African complaint scheduled for January 11 and 12.

The dates were announced Wednesday evening by the International Court of Justice, the highest UN court, in The Hague. South Africa will make its case on January 11 and Israel its on the 12th, the court said. Two hours are planned for each side.

South Africa had invoked the Genocide Convention in its complaint filed with the court on Friday. Both South Africa and Israel have signed the convention.

For the time being, these are summary proceedings. South Africa had requested immediate measures, saying the court should order an end to the violence against Palestinians in order to protect their rights "from further serious and irreparable harm."

According to South Africa, Israel's attacks are "genocidal in nature," as they are aimed at destroying the Palestinians in the area.

Lior Haiat, a spokesman for Israel's Foreign Ministry, has rejected South Africa's claims after the filing.

"Israel rejects with disgust the blood libel spread by South Africa and its application with this complaint" to the ICJ, he wrote last week on X.

The lawsuit "lacks both factual and legal basis," he wrote, adding that the ICJ and the international community should "completely reject South Africa's baseless claims."

Hamas is solely responsible for the suffering in Gaza, as Israel is doing whatever it can to minimize harm to the civilian population, Haiat wrote. Hamas uses Palestinians as human shields and steals humanitarian aid from them, he added.

However, statements by National Security Minister Ben-Gvir of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich of the far-right Religious Zionist Party could cause further problems for Israel in The Hague proceedings.

Both had speculated about a possible expulsion of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to other countries. The United States, the European Union, Germany and France had sharply rejected that.

Israeli Culture Minister Miki Sohar from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's conservative Likud party also criticized his Cabinet colleagues.

"It is clear that no one in Israel would be sad if they (the Palestinians) left voluntarily. But that is not realistic and the international community would not accept it either," he told the news website ynet. Such issues should not be discussed in public, he added.

The ICJ is the highest court of the United Nations and is supposed to dispense justice in conflicts between states. Its judgements are binding, but UN judges have no way of enforcing them. To do so, they would have to appeal to the UN Security Council.

The Gaza war was triggered by the terrorist attack by Hamas and other extremist Palestinian organizations on October 7 against Israel. They murdered more than 1,200 people and took some 240 hostages, around half of whom have been released.

Israel responded with massive airstrikes and a ground offensive. The aim is to completely destroy Hamas. In view of the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the sealed-off coastal area and the high number of civilian casualties, Israel has come under increasing international criticism.

Since the beginning of the war almost three months ago, more than 22,300 people have been killed and over 57,000 others injured in Gaza, the Hamas-run Health Ministry says.

Photo: MIA archive