Former UK Labour leader has hope for provisional order in UN Court in Gaza genocide case against Israel

The HAGUE

Former UK Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said Thursday that he hopes "there will be a provisional order made very soon" at the end of a UN court case.

"The demand made and the last part of the South African presentation made this morning was in order for the court to give an interim order," he told Anadolu at the Hague.

"I hope they do anything that can hold the bombing, anything that can save life in Gaza has got to be worthwhile. There was incredibly strong evidence of the way in which civilian population is being killed," he said.

South Africa presented hard evidence on the first day of a trial in a case it filed Dec. 29 that accuses Israel of genocide and violating the 1948 UN Genocide Convention with its actions in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7.

Pretoria is requesting an injunction by the top UN court to halt Israel's military assault on Gaza, which has dragged on for more than three months, with the death toll rising to more than 23,300.

The 84-page filing by South Africa accuses Israel of acts and omissions that are "genocidal in character, as they are committed with the requisite specific intent ... to destroy Palestinians in Gaza as a part of the broader Palestinian national, racial and ethnical group."

It said Israel's genocidal acts include the killing Palestinians, causing serious bodily and mental harm, mass expulsion from homes and displacement, imposing measures intended to prevent Palestinian births and deprivation of access to adequate food, water, shelter, sanitation and medical assistance.

The hearing on Thursday will be followed by Israel's arguments in its defense on Friday.