Hi folks,
The post by Admin here does provide the link but it is 3 steps down from the article and many may not have accessed the source document.
The direct link is here:
This is an amazing piece of work which any of the States who have signed up to the Genocide Convention could have put together but which only RSA has done – they deserve a Nobel Peace Prize for this alone, imo.
Just 4 paragraphs summarise the Evil that Israel is inflicting on Palestinians in Gaza:
“
117. As detailed above, contrary to Article I of the Convention, Israel has perpetrated and is perpetrating genocidal acts identified in Article II. Israel, its officials and/or agents, have acted with the intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza, part of a protected group under the Genocide Convention. The compelling circumstances are set out in detail in the Application, and include that:
— Nowhere is safe in Gaza.
— Israel is dropping ‘dumb’ bombs and bombs weighing up to 2,000 lbs (900 kgs) on one of the most densely populated places in the world.
— Palestinians in Gaza are being killed at a rate of approximately one person every six minutes.
— At least 21,110 Palestinians have been killed to date in Gaza, with a further estimated 7,780 are missing, presumed dead under the rubble.
— An estimated 7,729 Palestinian children had already been killed by 12 December 2023; at least 4,700 other children and women are reported missing, presumed dead under the rubble, leading UNICEF to describe Israel’s military attacks as a ‘war against children’.
— Hundreds of Palestinians in Gaza are being wounded daily, many with life-changing and life-threatening injuries.
— Besieged and bombed hospitals are no longer able to treat the sick and wounded; only 13 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are still functioning.
— 1.9 million Palestinians in Gaza — approximately 85 per cent of the population — have been forcibly displaced from their homes.
— Palestinians in Gaza are being corralled into ever smaller areas of Gaza, without sufficient shelter, where they continue to be bombed by Israel.
— Israel continues to prevent sufficient humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza, including preventing sufficient access to food, water, shelter, medicine and medical assistance.
— Vulnerable Palestinians, including the sick and infirm, children and expectant mothers are at particular risk.
- Infectious diseases are spreading rapidly.
- International experts are warning of imminent mass starvation.
118. Israel has also failed to prevent or to punish: genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide, direct and public incitement to genocide, attempted genocide and complicity in genocide, contrary to Articles III and IV of the Genocide Convention.
…
142. As of the date of this application, an estimated 21,110 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza,
including at least 7,729 children. 55,243 Palestinians have been injured, including at least 8,663
children, of whom over 1,000 are amputees, disabled for life. Approximately 70 per cent of those killed are said to be women and children. One Palestinian child in Gaza has been killed approximately every 15 minutes since Israel commenced military action in Gaza on 7 October 2023. Thousands more are missing under the rubble. 61 hospitals and health care facilities in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed; many have been placed under siege or have been subjected to forced evacuation, and only 13 hospitals are still partially functional, weighed under by mass overcrowding. 311 health workers have been killed, many while working, meaning that many of the wounded, including seriously injured children, cannot access healthcare. An estimated 5,500 women are having to give birth in unsafe conditions every month. Babies are dying from preventable causes: in addition to disease and malnutrition, premature babies have died due to lack of fuel to supply hospital generators; others have been found decomposing in their hospital cots, medical staff having been forced to evacuate. Over 60 per cent of homes in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed. Vast swathes of Gaza have been destroyed, including entire villages, refugee camps, towns and cities that have been or are deliberately being rendered uninhabitable. Israel has made a humanitarian response impossible with constant bombardment, including of safe routes. 1.9 million people, nearly 85 per cent of the population, are displaced, including elderly, wounded and disabled people, living in makeshift tents, lacking any or adequate sanitation and water, in United Nations schools and with relatives. The entire population is facing starvation: 93 per cent of the population in Gaza is facing crisis levels of hunger, with more than one in four facing “catastrophic conditions” — with death imminent. Against that background, the Israeli Prime Minister asserted on 25 December 2023: “We are not stopping, we are continuing to fight and we are deepening the fighting in the coming days, and this will be a long battle and it is not close to being over”.573 The circumstances could not be more urgent.
143. The 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza, including over a million children, are extremely
vulnerable. There is a grave threat to their existence. They are in urgent and severe need of the Court’s protection. With each passing day that Israel’s military attacks continue, further significant loss of life and property is being caused, and grave human rights violations are being committed. There can be no doubt that the requirements for the indication of provisional measures are satisfied here.”
But the whole 84 pages and 573 notes need to be read and absorbed and all should be explained in detail by experts for the world to fully appreciate.
( I see that UK Column finally got to Gaza yesterday but could only find 7 minutes to basically read out extracts from articles and show a video clip – they clearly need to understand how inadequate this is!)
cheers
PS given the rate of murders by Israel - one Palestinian every 6 minutes - 240 per day, the delay in slating this hearing until January 11th - over 2,500 deaths later !! - does not indicate that the ICJ administrators care much for the people of Palestine, I’m not hopeful of a good result here despite the evidence.