CAIRO, Egypt
In a televised address on
Tuesday (Jan. 02), the chief of Hamas' political bureau thanked South Africa
for launching a case against Israel at the UN's top court.
Hamas' Ismail Haniyeh hailed
an important lawsuit.
"I applaud all the
positions of support and especially the state of South Africa, which filed a
complaint with the International Court of Justice against the occupying state
for its crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing, and genocide, and we appreciate
the political and legal importance of this lawsuit."
Israel
has rejected the accusations.
South Africa asked The
Hague-based court to issue an interim order for Israel to immediately suspend
its military operations in Gaza. A hearing into that request is likely in the
coming days or weeks. The case, if it goes ahead, will take years, but an interim
order could be issued within weeks.
The military branch of the
Hamas launched the deadliest attack in Israel on October 7. Some 1,200 people
mainly civilians were killed, and hundreds abducted.
It led to the latest war
in the decades’ long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"This aggression will
stop under the blows of the resistance and the steadfastness of our people; the
occupation has no choice but to respond to the will of our people. I would like
to point out here that, in light of the initiatives and offers that reached the
leadership of the movement through the brothers in Egypt and Qatar, and after
studying these ideas positively, the movement has presented its position and
vision to Qatar and Egypt, which is based on a comprehensive cessation of
aggression against our people, providing relief to them, and responding to
their rightful and just demands."
The Israeli military offensive
has killed over 20,000 people in Gaza and worsened a humanitarian crisis.
South Africa has condemned
"all violations of international law by all parties, including the direct
targeting of Israeli civilians and other nationals and hostage-taking by Hamas
and other Palestinian armed groups."
South Africa and Israel are
both members of the United Nations and are parties to the Genocide Convention.
Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh
said on Tuesday he was 'open to the idea' of a single Palestinian
administration to govern Gaza, which is ruled by the militant group, and the
occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian groups have
been divided on a common strategy for years.
The U.S. "rejected"
Tuesday recent comments made by two Israeli ministers who suggested that
Palestinians should be displaced out of Gaza, State Department spokesperson
Matthew Miller said in a statement.
Israel’s National Security
Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said Monday (Jan. 01st): “We must promote a solution
to encourage the emigration of Gaza’s residents.”
Israel
ended the withdrawal of its troops and settlers in 2005, ending a presence
inside Gaza that began in 1967.
In mid-October, Egypt
once again refused to accept what it calls the transfer of Israel's
responsibility as an occupying power, including to "provide for the safety
of civilians" living under its occupation.
Israel's army said Tuesday
(Jan.02) several thousand troops would be taken out of Gaza in the coming
weeks, though it has not said publicly whether the withdrawal reflects a new
phase of the war.
The move is in line with the plans that Israeli leaders have outlined for a low-intensity campaign, expected to last for much of the year, that focuses on remaining Hamas strongholds.
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