THE HAGUE

Irish members of the European Parliament joined a rally in front of the International Court of Justice at The Hague in support of Gaza, stating that this is a trial on International law as much as Israel.

Member of the European Parliament Claire Daly told Anadolu that she is there representing the overwhelming majority of people around the world, and especially in Europe, who want to see Israel held to account for its actions in Gaza
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"So I think, in some ways, it's international law that's on trial here just as much as Israel. So it's to hear the testimony. It's to witness the adjudications of the court and to, I suppose, have a whole and an expectation of the international organizations which so far have failed to act will now finally redeem themselves," she said.

"Well, let's see, I mean, look if you were to examine the evidence legally in the cold light of day, they will definitely lead and rule in South Africa's favor, call it genocide, and call for it to be halted. But unfortunately, politics often plays a role in these situations as well. But let's see, can the court withstand that interference," Daly added.

Mick Wallace, another Irish member of the EU parliament, said he had trust in the court, adding that it would come with an honest verdict and accuse Israel of genocide.

"Israel has been blatant about infringing international law for a long time, and it's always gotten away with it and expects to continue to get away with it. That's why they can almost boast about carrying out a genocide and expect to get away with it," he said.

"We don't know whether the court is going to be honest. In this interpretation, we do know that there are 15 judges from 15 different countries, and they will be pressured by the Americans to support Israel.

But whether they have the courage to stand up for the truth and to stand up for justice for the Palestinians, we may wait and see," Wallace added.

Public hearings in South Africa's genocide case against Israel began on Thursday at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague.

On the first day of the trial, South Africa will be presenting hard evidence in the case it filed on Dec. 29, accusing Israel of genocide and violation of the UN Genocide Convention with its actions in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7.

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Hamas, which Tel Aviv says killed around 1,200 people.

At least 23,357 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and 59,410 others injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.

About 85% of Gazans have been displaced, while all of the population is food insecure, according to the UN. Hundreds of thousands of people are living without shelter, and ⁠less than half of the aid trucks are entering the territory than before the start of the conflict.

*Writing by Dilara Hamit and Necva Tastan