Ministry in Israel:

“South Africa acts as the legal arm of Hamas”

South African representative before the International Court of Justice in The Hague(Bild: AFP)

Israel's government has called for the South African emergency request for humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip to be rejected. "South Africa continues to act as the legal arm of Hamas and is acting against Israel's right to defend itself and its citizens (...)", explained the Foreign Ministry spokesperson.

Israel is acting in accordance with international law and is indeed allowing humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, said Lior Haiat on Thursday. South Africa's government had requested the International Court of Justice in The Hague to order Israel to allow humanitarian aid into the sealed-off coastal area. The reason given was a "widespread famine."

Not South Africa's first complaint
South Africa's government had already taken Israel to the international court at the end of December for violating the Genocide Convention in the Gaza war. At that time, the UN court ruled that protective measures had to be taken to prevent genocide.

South African representatives before the International Court of Justice in The Hague(Bild: AFP)

People in the Gaza Strip(Bild: APA/AFP/Oren ZIV)

Refugees in Khan Younis(Bild: APA/AFP/MOHAMMED ABED)

Israel's government emphasized on Wednesday that more relief supplies are currently arriving in the coastal strip than before the war began. "In the past two weeks, an average of 102 food shipments have arrived in the Gaza Strip every day. That is almost 50 percent more than before Hamas started the war on October 7," said government spokesman Eylon Levy. 

20 people have died of hunger and dehydration
There is a "flood of false reports" that Israel is limiting the amount of aid deliveries. The problem is the distribution of goods by the UN. The Hamas health authority spoke of at least 20 deaths due to hunger and dehydration. South Africa's government complained that at least 15 children had died of starvation last week (see video above).

The war was triggered by the worst massacre in Israel's history. Terrorists from the Islamist Hamas and other extremist groups invaded Israel on October 7, killing civilians and taking people hostage in the Gaza Strip. Some of them have since been released. Israel's military responded with massive bombardments and shortly afterwards with a ground offensive. According to Hamas, more than 30,800 people have since lost their lives and more than twice as many (72,300) have been injured.