Israeli violations against Palestinians amount to ‘genocide’, Iraq tells UN court

Iraq on Thursday said Israeli violations against Palestinians amount to "genocide" during a hearing at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

"We are deeply concerned about the human suffering across Palestine, especially in Gaza, as a result of the barbaric actions of the Israeli occupation against civilians," Iraqi representative Hayder Shiya Al-Barrak, head of the legal department of the Foreign Ministry, said in an oral argument before the Hague-based court.

"Israeli violations against Palestinians are tantamount to genocide," he added.

The Iraqi representative called the World Court to "take all measures to preserve a dignified and safe life for the Palestinians, in which they enjoy all human rights."

Public hearings started Monday in The Hague following the UN General Assembly's request for an advisory opinion on the legal consequences arising from policies and practices of Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem.

South Africa brought a genocide case against Israel to the ICJ in late December and asked it for emergency measures to end Palestinian bloodshed in Gaza, where nearly 29,410 people have been killed since Oct. 7.

The World Court in January ordered Israel to take "all measures within its power" to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza but fell short of ordering a cease-fire.

It also ordered Israel to take "immediate and effective" measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip.

A cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 killed an estimated 1,200 people, but the ensuing Israeli offensive into Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Despite international outcry, Israel now plans a ground invasion of Rafah, which houses around 1.4 million refugees.