South Africa submits evidence to ICJ accusing Israel of defying Gaza genocide orders

South Africa submitted a detailed dossier to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on 25 August, formally accusing Israel of defying three legally binding provisional measures issued in 2024 to prevent genocide and safeguard essential aid in Gaza.

Pretoria stated, "Regrettably, Israel has not complied with the Orders," warning that Tel Aviv's ongoing non-compliance directly threatens the court’s legitimacy while exposing the Palestinian population to systematic destruction before a final judgment can be delivered.

The submission details a staggering human toll, citing at least 73,407 Palestinians killed and 174,335 injured since October 2023—representing over 10 percent of Gaza's entire population.

Pretoria highlighted that severe atrocities persist, including arbitrary detentions, widespread torture, sexual violence, and a threefold spike in miscarriages among pregnant women.

The filing further noted that despite a nominal ceasefire, the Israeli military has continued to kill an average of one Palestinian child per day. South Africa has vowed to pursue all available legal avenues to enforce compliance.

Settlers' Violence in West Bank

In related news, Israeli settlers ‘directly responsible’ for 90 percent of West Bank arson attacks since 2023. 

Occupation troops are responsible for the remaining fires that devastated the Palestinian territories, displacing thousands of families from their lands. 

According to a report by the Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission (CWRC) published on 28 August, illegal Israeli settlers and occupation soldiers are the direct perpetrators of nearly 89 percent of arson attacks on Palestinian property in the occupied West Bank since the start of 2023.

The report showed that out of 900 fires targeting Palestinian homes, buildings, vehicles, and facilities in the West Bank, 799 (88.8 percent)  were set by Jewish settlers, while 101 (11.2 percent) were carried out by the Israeli army.

Between January 2023 and 10 July 2026, 121 Palestinian communities across the occupied West Bank were fully or partially displaced due to attacks involving arson, road closures, and restrictions on access to land and water sources as part of the state-backed ethnic cleansing campaign across the occupied West Bank.

Of those, 46 were emptied entirely, driving more than 6,200 Palestinians from their homes, with over 3,000 of those forced out being children. 

The CWRC recorded 112 fires between January and 10 July 2026, following a steady annual climb from 217 in 2023 to 264 in 2024, and peaking at 307 incidents in 2025. 

The CWRC blamed a "government environment of enablement" for the attacks, claiming it shields settlers and grants them impunity, with illegal settlement outposts increasingly used as launch points for state-backed assaults.