How to Watch the ICJ’s Hearing of South Africa's Genocide Case Today

Hearings are set to commence today, January 11th, at The Hague as the International Court of Justice (ICJ) hears arguments alleging that Israel is committing genocide in the territory. The trial will be publicly live-streamed.

South Africa is petitioning the International Court of Justice to mandate Israel to cease its military operations in Gaza. The oral arguments are scheduled to start in The Hague at 10:00 AM local time (11:00 AM Thursday in Cairo), and the proceedings can be viewed through the official ICJ stream provided by the United Nations.

Amnesty International, in a statement, remarked that the public hearing of South Africa's accusations against Israel offers a "glimmer of hope for international justice."

In the formal submission comprising 84 pages, as presented to the International Court of Justice to initiate proceedings, South Africa stated: “The acts and omissions by Israel complained of by South Africa are genocidal in character because they are intended to bring about the destruction of a substantial part of the Palestinian national, racial and ethnical group.”

This case unfolds against the backdrop of the escalated genocide in Gaza, initiated by Israel on October 7th. Over the past three months, the Gaza Ministry of Health reports that 23,357 individuals, constituting about one percent of Gaza's population, have lost their lives in Israel's military operation in Gaza, Palestine.