Israel defends itself at the UN's top court against allegations of genocide in Gaza
Israel described the allegations leveled by South Africa as hypocritical and said one of the biggest cases ever to come before an international court reflected a world turned upside down. Israeli leaders defend their air and ground offensive in Gaza as a legitimate response to Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, when militants stormed through Israeli communities, killing some 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostage.
Israeli legal advisor Tal Becker told a packed auditorium at the ornate Palace of Peace in The Hague that the country is fighting a «war it did not start and did not want.»
«In these circumstances, there can hardly be a charge more false and more malevolent than the allegation against Israel of genocide,» he added, noting that the horrible suffering of civilians in war was not enough to level that charge.
On Friday afternoon, Germany said it wants to intervene in the proceedings on Israel's behalf, saying there was «no basis whatsoever» for an accusation of genocide against Israel.
«Hamas terrorists brutally attacked, tortured, killed and kidnapped innocent people in Israel,» German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said in a statement. «Since then, Israel has been defending itself against the inhumane attack by Hamas.»
He acknowledged that various countries view Israel's actions in Gaza differently but that Germany expressly rejects the accusations of genocide.
While the legal implications of German's announcement were not immediately clear, its support for Israel carries some symbolic significance given Germany's Nazi history.
Hebestreit said Germany «sees itself as particularly committed to the Convention against Genocide.» He added: «We firmly
