South Africa says Israel is defying ICJ orders and urges global action

South Africa has accused Israel of breaching binding orders from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) designed to protect Palestinians in Gaza and has called on the international community “to take all necessary action to prevent and punish genocide”.

Submission to the court

On 25 August, Pretoria submitted a dossier to the ICJ alleging that Israel has failed to comply with the court’s orders issued under the Genocide Convention. The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) confirmed the filing and said it was submitted under Article 11 of the ICJ’s rules on internal judicial practice, which empowers a three‑judge committee to monitor compliance and recommend possible action.

Allegations and evidence presented

Dirco said the evidence documented Israel’s disregard for binding obligations and warned that this defiance was accelerating “the destruction of an already shattered population.” The department set out casualty and injury figures it attributed to the conflict: 73 407 Palestinians killed and 174 335 injured in Gaza since 7 October 2023, as of August 2026, and claimed that more than 46 000 survivors live with severe conflict‑related injuries.

Dirco also described a deteriorating humanitarian situation, saying civilians were being deprived of essentials and that one Palestinian child was being killed on average every day by the Israeli military. The submission said miscarriage rates in Gaza had increased more than three‑fold in 2026 and asserted that surviving Palestinians were being “herded into an ever‑shrinking sliver of territory, deprived of water, healthcare, medicine and other essentials for survival.”

What the ICJ ordered

The ICJ’s provisional measures, issued in January, March and May 2024, required Israel to prevent acts prohibited under the Genocide Convention, preserve evidence, enable humanitarian aid, and allow UN investigators access to Gaza. South Africa’s dossier argues those obligations remain unmet, saying journalists have been barred, investigators blocked and civilians subjected to unbearable conditions.

South Africa’s stance and next steps

Dirco said:

“Regrettably, Israel has not complied with the orders. South Africa continues to pursue all avenues available to it to seek Israel’s full and immediate compliance.”

The submission follows earlier dossiers South Africa sent to the UN Security Council, the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council in 2024 and 2025 urging urgent international action. South Africa’s genocide case against Israel, filed in December 2023, remains before the court; the ICJ’s scheduling order extends written arguments until May 2029.

On the broader purpose

South Africa emphasised that the court’s provisional measures aim not only to protect Palestinians but also to safeguard the administration of justice. Dirco said the alleged failure to comply with the measures

“undermines their protective function and entails further destruction of the Palestinian group.”

Israel has rejected the genocide allegation and said its military operations target Hamas and other armed groups.