The Palestinian Resistance Movement, Hamas, has said that the ruling by the International Court of Justice is “an important first step towards justice” for the Palestinian people, as well as holding Israel “accountable” for its actions.
In a statement on Friday, Hamas politburo member, Izzat al-Rishq, said the ICJ’s “acceptance of the genocide case filed by South Africa, and the court’s rejection of Israel’s request to dismiss it, is an important step towards justice for our people.”
The World Court earlier ruled in the case brought by South Africa in December requesting an injunction against Israel on the grounds that its attacks on Gaza violate the Genocide Convention.
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Al-Rishq said the ruling “signifies the initiation of proceedings and procedures to hold Israel” as well as “all its supporters accountable for the genocidal crimes committed against our people.”
The ICJ issued six provisional measures, including that Israel takes all measures to prevent acts of genocide being committed in Gaza, and to allow humanitarian aid into the besieged enclave.
Acknowledgment of the Crimes
Al-Rishq said the “adoption” of the urgent measures requested by South Africa is “an acknowledgment by the court of the magnitude of the crime committed” by Israel in the besieged enclave.
“We call for immediate action to oblige the occupation to implement the ruling of the International Court of Justice and to confront any Zionist attempts to evade this obligation,” he stressed.
He further said Hamas rejects “any attempts by the American administration, a partner in the crimes of genocide in Gaza, to circumvent the ruling.”
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Al-Rishq said, “This crime has not ceased or diminished even after the commencement of the trial sessions, but was accompanied by brazen Zionist positions attacking the court and ongoing American positions washing the hands of the occupation from the blood of innocent children, women, and elders.”
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 26,257 Palestinians have been killed, and 64,797 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Palestinian and international estimates say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
US Statements Denounced
Prior to the ruling, Al-Rishq reportedly denounced the US State Department’s claim that Israel “did not commit genocide” in the Gaza Strip.
“The US State Department’s claim that Israel did not commit genocide … is a blatant and rejected American attempt to anticipate the International Court of Justice’s decision,” Al-Rishq stated, adding that it was also an attempt “to pressure for Israel to avoid conviction for committing massacres and genocide that are continuing to this day with full American support and partnership.”
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The US has “no right to speak about values, morals, and international laws that are violated in broad daylight and in full view of the entire world,” he said, the Anadolu news agency reports.
While senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized the Court’s ruling, South African President Cyril Ramphosa has welcomed the ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
(PC, Anadolu)
