LONDON 

Ireland will formally join South Africa's genocide case against Israel following government approval and will be asking the court to "broaden its interpretation" of what constitutes a genocide, the nation's foreign minister said Wednesday.

Ireland will join the case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague this month, Micheal Martin said in a statement.

"There has been a collective punishment of the Palestinian people through the intent and impact of military actions of Israel in Gaza, leaving 44,000 dead and millions of civilians displaced," Martin said following Wednesday's Cabinet meeting.

He stressed that by legally intervening in South Africa's case, Dublin will also be asking the ICJ to "broaden its interpretation of what constitutes the commission of genocide by a State."

"We are concerned that a very narrow interpretation of what constitutes genocide leads to a culture of impunity in which the protection of civilians is minimized," underlined Martin.

He went on to say that Ireland's view of the convention is broader and prioritizes the protection of civilian life as the government will promote that interpretation in its intervention in this case.

Martin added that the government has also approved joining Gambia's case against Myanmar under the same convention.

In October 2023, Israel launched a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip that has so far killed over 44,800 people, mostly women and children, and now faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on Gaza.

Last month, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.