By Ebi Kesiena
Egypt formally announced on Sunday, its support for South Africa’s legal action against Israel for genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), dealing a significant blow to Israel from one of its few Arab allies.
In a statement released by the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Egypt cited the escalating severity and breadth of Israeli assaults on Palestinians in the ongoing Gaza conflict, now in its eighth month, as the basis for its decision to intervene in the case.
Egypt condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza, where the death toll has surpassed 35,000 Palestinians, as blatant violations of international law, humanitarian law, and the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, which safeguards civilian lives during wartime.
The statement highlighted what it termed as “systemic practices” against Palestinians, including direct assaults on civilians, infrastructure destruction, and forced displacements from their lands.
Egypt called upon Israel to adhere to its responsibilities as the occupying power and to enforce the interim measures issued by the ICJ, which mandate facilitating humanitarian aid access to meet the needs of Palestinians in Gaza.
Despite international opposition, Israel pressed ahead with its long-threatened invasion of the southern Rafah governorate which borders Egypt this week and rapidly seized control of the border crossing and sealed it shut.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forced to evacuate under Israeli military directives to so-called “expanded humanitarian zones”. Locals have reported scenes of chaos and fear as hungry and exhausted families were forced to flee again.
Meanwhile, humanitarian agencies and the UN have said that the invasion risks huge civilian casualties and have sounded the alarm over the lack of basic living conditions, including running water, and access to health care.
