[Video transcript]
On the first day of a genocide case against the state of Israel in The Hague, demonstrators on both sides marched to the UN's top court, in search of two different visions of justice.
Inside the court, the legal team for South Africa — who brought the case against Israel — made their opening arguments.
(Vaughan Lowe, South African delegation)
"The publicly available evidence of the scale of the destruction resulting form the bombardment of Gaza and the deliberate restriction of food, water, medicines and electricity available to the population of Gaza demonstrates that the government of Israel — not Jewish people, or Israeli citizens, the government of Israel and its military —, is intent on destroying the Palestinians of Gaza as a group."
The proceedings could take years. In the meantime, South Africa is asking the court to order Israel to stop its military operations in Gaza.
High civilian casualties and a humanitarian catastrophe have led to international condemnation of the Israeli offensive.
The Hamas-run health ministry says more than 23,000 Palestinians have been killed. The UN says 1 in 4 people in Gaza are starving.
But Israel vehemently denies allegations of genocide.
It insists its campaign is about targeting Hamas and not the Palestinian people. Israel says it is acting in self-defence after the Hamas terror attacks on October 7, 2023.
(Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister)
"A terrorist organization that committed the most terrible crime against the Jewish people since the Holocaust, and now there are those who come to defend it in the name of the Holocaust. What audacity! An upside-down world."
Israel will address the court on Friday.
A decision on emergency measures is expected later this month. Ordering a cease-fire is one possible option. But as the court has no way to enforce its rulings, those hoping for a quick end to the war may be bitterly disappointed.