On Tuesday, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced that Turkiye plans to officially intervene in the genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), initially brought forward by South Africa.
This move comes as Ankara intensifies its response to Israel’s actions in Gaza, which have resulted in over 35,000 deaths following an attack by the militant group Hamas on October 7.
At a press conference with his Austrian counterpart, Fidan condemned the initial violence but labeled the systematic killing of thousands of Palestinians and the destruction of residential areas by Israel as crimes against humanity and genocide.
Although Turkey has not yet formally applied to the ICJ, the World Court is set to conduct hearings on May 16 and 17 regarding South Africa’s request for additional emergency measures against Israel’s attacks on Rafah during the ongoing Gaza conflict.
The ongoing case accuses Israel of committing acts of genocide against Palestinians. Israel has defended its actions in Gaza as compliant with international law and has dismissed the genocide allegations from South Africa as unfounded, accusing Pretoria of serving as “the legal arm of Hamas.”
