Irish Foreign Minister Michael Martin said that while the World Court would decide whether genocide had been committed, he wanted to make clear that Hamas's October 7 offensive and what was happening in Gaza now "represent a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law on a massive scale".
Irish Foreign Minister, Micheal Martin. Photo: GI
"The taking of hostages. The deliberate denial of humanitarian assistance to civilians. The targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure. The indiscriminate use of explosive weapons in densely populated areas. The use of civilian objects for military purposes. Collective punishment against entire populations… It must stop. The position of the international community is clear. Enough is enough," he declared.
In January, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), also known as the World Court and the highest court of the United Nations, ordered Israel to refrain from any actions that could violate the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and to ensure its military does not commit acts of genocide against Palestinians.
The statement came after South Africa accused Israel of genocide in its campaign against Hamas in Gaza. Israel and its Western allies described the accusations as baseless. A final ruling in South Africa's case at a court in The Hague, Netherlands, could take years.
Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel killed 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli statistics. Since then, Israel's offensive on Gaza has killed more than 32,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health authority in Gaza.
A champion of Palestinian rights, the Republic of Ireland last week joined Spain, Malta and Slovenia in taking the first steps towards recognising Palestinian-claimed statehood in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Israel told the countries that its plan constituted a "reward for terrorism" that would reduce the chances of reaching a negotiated solution to the conflict.
Bui Huy (according to Reuters)
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