(New York Times) Roni Caryn Rabin - Israel faced a charge of genocide at the International Court of Justice on Thursday. South African lawyers offered as evidence the words of Israeli officials, including Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who said after the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre that Israel was fighting "human animals." Israel will present its defense on Friday. The hearings will be the first time that Israel has chosen to defend itself in person in such a setting. Israeli officials have argued that Hamas should face charges of genocide. Israel Foreign Ministry spokesman Lior Haiat noted that Hamas "calls in its charter for the destruction of the state of Israel and the murder of Jews." He also said the genocide case brought by South Africa overlooked the atrocities committed by Hamas in its Oct. 7 attacks in Israel. Israeli leaders point to millions of messages, sent by various means, telling Gaza's civilians to evacuate to safer areas ahead of bombings, and say they are constantly working to increase the amount of aid entering Gaza.
2024-01-12 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive