Israel will face accusations at the UN’s top court that it has committed “genocidal” acts in Gaza, AFP reports.

South Africa has lodged an urgent appeal to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to force Israel to “immediately suspend” its military operations in Gaza. Robed officials from both countries will go head-to-head in the Great Hall of Justice in the Peace Palace in The Hague, a world away from the devastation seen in Israel and Gaza since the October 7 Hamas attacks.

South Africa argues that Israel is breaking its commitments under the UN Genocide Convention, a treaty signed in 1948 as the world cried “never again” after the Holocaust. It has acknowledged the “particular weight of responsibility” of accusing Israel of genocide and “unequivocally” condemned the Hamas attacks that touched off the bombardment in Gaza.

But in an 84-page submission to the court, Pretoria charged that Israel’s bombing and invasion of Gaza is “intended to bring about the destruction of a substantial part of the Palestinian national, racial and ethnical group”.

As it is an urgent procedure, the ICJ could rule in a matter of weeks. Its rulings are final and cannot be appealed. However, countries do not always follow the court’s verdicts — the ICJ has ordered Russia to stop its invasion of Ukraine for example.