Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday said Israel will not be stopped in its war against Hamas after the International Court of Justice held hearings on South Africa’s allegations that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
Netanyahu’s televised remarks came after two days of hearings at The Hague, during which South Africa asked the court to order Israel to halt its air and ground offensive in an interim step.
"No one will stop us, not The Hague, not the axis of evil and not anyone else," Netanyahu said, referring to Iran and its allied militias.
Israel has repeatedly rejected South Africa’s charge of genocide as libelous and hypocritical. The U.S. State Department has also dismissed allegations of Israel committing genocide as "unfounded."
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Germany came to Israel’s defense on Friday, with German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit saying Israel was "defending itself" after the "inhuman" attacks by Hamas.
Hamas terrorists launched the deadly attack on Oct. 7, killing some 1,200 people in Israel, mostly civilians. About 250 more were taken hostage, and while some have been released or confirmed dead, more than half are believed to still be held captive in Gaza.
In the 100 days since Hamas first ignited the war, the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry says more than 23,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed.
On Friday, Israel asked the world court to dismiss the case as meritless. Israel’s defense argued that it has the right to defend itself against a ruthless enemy, noting that South Africa barely mentioned Hamas and ignored Israel’s attempts to mitigate civilian harm.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
