GAZA CITY, Palestine

The Palestinian resistance group Hamas on Friday welcomed Chile’s announcement to join South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over its devastating war on the Gaza Strip.

In a statement, Hamas said Chile's announcement reflects "its stance for humanity, adoption of human values, and rejection of blatant violations of international law."

The Palestinian group also hailed Chilean President Gabriel Boric for "supporting the rights of the Palestinian people and their struggle for freedom and self-determination."

Hamas urged countries around the world to join the genocide case against Israel before the ICJ and to "escalate all forms of pressure" on Israel to stop its war on Gaza.

Earlier on Friday, Chile officially filed a declaration of intervention in the ICJ case concerning the application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip.

The South American country's intervention, filed under Article 63 of the ICJ Statute, asserts its interest in the construction of the Genocide Convention as it applies to this case.

According to Article 63, any state party to a convention that is under judicial consideration has the right to intervene, making the ICJ’s interpretation of that convention binding on them as well.

On Dec. 29, 2023, South Africa filed an application instituting proceedings against Israel, stating violations of the Genocide Convention in relation to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Several countries have since joined the case, including Nicaragua, Colombia, Libya, Mexico, Palestine, Spain, and Türkiye.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since a Hamas attack last October despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

More than 41,100 people, mostly women and children, have since been killed and over 95,100 injured, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar