JOHANNESBURG

The genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) will continue and South Africa will file a memorial next month, the presidency said in a statement on Tuesday.

"South Africa intends to provide facts and evidence to prove that Israel is committing the crime of genocide in Palestine," the statement said.

"This case will continue until the court makes a finding. While the case is in progress, we hope that Israel will abide by the court’s provisional orders issued to date."

The remarks come amid reports that Israeli diplomats are being instructed to lobby members of the US Congress to pressure South Africa into dropping the case.

South Africa said its genocide case against Israel represents a growing global effort towards ensuring peace in the Middle East.

Several countries, it added, namely Türkiye, Nicaragua, Palestine, Spain, Mexico, Libya and Colombia, have all joined the case which began public hearings in January.

South Africa filed the case at the tribunal based in The Hague in late 2023, accusing Israel, which has bombed Gaza since last October, of failing to uphold its commitments under the 1948 Genocide Convention.

The top court in May ordered Israel to halt its offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. It was the third time the 15-judge panel issued preliminary orders seeking to rein in the death toll and alleviate humanitarian suffering in the blockaded enclave, where the casualty count has crossed 40,000.