Belgium on Tuesday formally joined South Africa in a case at the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza. The UN’s highest court, based in The Hague, confirmed Brussels filed a declaration of intervention to support the legal proceedings.
Several nations, including Brazil, Colombia, Ireland, Mexico, Spain and Turkey, had already joined South Africa’s lawsuit against Israel. South Africa first brought the case in December 2023, claiming Israel’s Gaza offensive violated the 1948 UN Genocide Convention.
Israel has consistently denied the accusations, rejecting both the legal claims and the ICJ’s authority in the matter. The ICJ issued rulings in January, March and May 2024, ordering Israel to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza.
The court demanded Israel provide urgent humanitarian aid to avert famine, though it lacks direct means to enforce these orders. Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack killed 1,221 Israelis, mostly civilians, according to official Israeli figures compiled by AFP.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign has claimed 70,369 Palestinian lives, mainly civilians, and displaced the majority of Gaza’s 2.2 million residents. Belgium, among countries recognising the State of Palestine in September, joins a growing international effort backing South Africa’s ICJ case.