Egypt throws weight behind South Africa genocide case against Israel

Egypt on Sunday said it planned to intervene in support of an ongoing case filed by South Africa before the World Court, which accuses Israel of "mass genocide" against the Palestinians. Cairo's decision to officially back the genocide case, brought forward by South Africa at the International Court of Justice, comes amid "the escalating severity and scope of Israeli attacks against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip," said a foreign ministry statement. The events have led to an unprecedented "humanitarian crisis" in the Palestinian enclave, according to statement, which described Israeli actions as a "flagrant violation of international and humanitarian laws," while urging the protection of the Palestinians under the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949. The statement went on to press the UN Security Council to "take immediate action" aiming to halt the worsening violence in the Gaza Strip, which includes providing "necessary protection" to the Palestinians, it added. In January, South Africa accused Isr ael of perpetrating acts of mass genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza, demanding that the UN top court orders a halt to an Israeli military offensive there. Source: Kuwait News Agency