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The country requests the Hague-based court to issue an interim order for the Zionist regime to immediately suspend its military operations in Gaza.
The chief of Hamas' political bureau thanked South Africa on Tuesday for launching a case against Israel at the UN's top court.
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Hamas' Ismail Haniyeh hailed South Africa's move. In a televised address he said, "I applaud all the positions of support and especially the state of South Africa, which filed a complaint with the International Court of Justice against the occupying state for its crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing, and genocide."
"We appreciate the political and legal importance of this lawsuit," Ismail Haniyeh said.
In an 84-page application, South Africa alleges that Israel's actions and omissions in the Gaza Strip are genocidal in nature. The country asked the Hague-based court to issue an interim order for the Zionist regime to immediately suspend its military operations in Gaza.
A hearing on South Africa's petition is likely to be held in the coming days or weeks. If the case goes forward, it will take years, but an interim order could be issued in a matter of weeks.
For its part, Israel has rejected the lawsuit filed at the International Court of Justice last week accusing it of genocide. Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy said today that Israel will appear before the ICJ in The Hague to deny the allegations.
The Israeli military offensive has killed more than 22,000 people in Gaza since October 7 and has aggravated the humanitarian crisis in the territory.
South Africa's decision is the latest in a series of actions taken by its government against Israel's attacks in Gaza, which violate the UN Genocide Convention. According to Article 2 of the Genocide Convention, genocide involves acts committed with the "intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group."
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