BOGOTA, Colombia

Brazil announced Wednesday that it is in the "final phase" of formally joining the genocide lawsuit filed by South Africa against Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

In a statement, the Brazilian government expressed "deep indignation at the recurring episodes of violence against the civilian population in the State of Palestine, not limited to the Gaza Strip but extending to the West Bank."

The statement detailed "serious human rights violations," citing "attacks on civilian infrastructure, including religious sites such as the Catholic parish in Gaza, and United Nations facilities like those of the World Health Organization."

It further condemned "indiscriminate violence and vandalism by extremist settlers in the West Bank, such as the burning of the ruins of the ancient Church of St. George and the Byzantine cemetery in Taybeh."

Additionally, Brazil highlighted "massacres of civilians, most of them women and children, which have become commonplace during the delivery of humanitarian aid in Gaza" and "the shameless use of starvation as a weapon of war."

Brazil's decision, the statement emphasized, is "based on the State's obligation to comply with its obligations under International Law and International Humanitarian Law," both of which it deems violated by Israel's actions against Palestinians.

The lawsuit before the ICJ, the principal judicial body of the United Nations based in The Hague, was initially filed by South Africa in December 2023. It accuses Israel of genocide. Several countries have either formally applied to intervene in the case or declared their intention to do so.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has been among the most critical global voices regarding the situation in Gaza, consistently describing Israel's actions as genocide and an act of revenge. His comparison of Israel's actions to the Nazi Holocaust led Israel to declare him "persona non grata."

Meanwhile, more than 100 humanitarian organizations are warning about mass starvation in Gaza.

Israel has killed more than 59,200 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in the Gaza Strip since the start of its brutal assault in October 2023, according to Gaza’s health authorities.