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'Israeli soldiers have deliberately shot at unarmed Palestinians seeking aid in Gaza.'
A strike on a school in northern Gaza sparked a blaze. Picture: AFP
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, has defended South Africa’s International Court of Justice (ICJ) case against Israel after an attack on a school in Gaza.
Charred remains of Palestinian women and children were pulled from under the rubble in Gaza on Friday after the Israeli army bombed the Osama Bin Zaid School packed with displaced families.
Israel attack
A series of Israeli airstrikes and artillery attacks across the Gaza Strip on Friday killed at least 78 Palestinians, including 12 aid seekers, as Israel’s war on the besieged enclave continues unabated.
At least eight people were killed when an Israeli airstrike hit on the Osama Bin Zaid school, which had been sheltering displaced families in the Saftawi area of northern Gaza’s Jabalia.
A fire broke out in a classroom following the strike, triggering panic among those inside. The strike has once again raised alarm over the targeting of civilian shelters.
ALSO READ: Israel accused of starving Gaza ‘by design’ — South Africa addresses ICJ
SA ICJ case
Magwenya dismissed those who questioned why South Africa had taken Israel to the ICJ after the attack on the school..
“And then the temerity of those telling us we shouldn’t have launched a case at the ICJ. Silence and inaction are not options. May their souls rest in peace,” Magwenya said.
In its initial application, South Africa submitted an 84-page application at the ICJ on 29 December 2023, pleading with the court to find Israel guilty of suspected genocide and order it to, among other things, halt its invasion of Gaza.
Israel defiant
Since launching the case at the ICJ, South Africa has approached the court four times requesting interim measures to halt Israel’s attacks on the occupied territory.
Despite three orders being granted in South Africa’s favour, they have had little to no impact on all forms of Israel’s attacks on Palestinian life, essential services and the need for humanitarian aid.
ALSO READ: SA won’t drop ICJ case against Israel, even if Trump waives restrictions – Dirco
Israeli soldiers ‘ordered’ to shoot
Meanwhile, Israeli soldiers have deliberately shot at unarmed Palestinians seeking aid in Gaza after being “ordered” to do so by their commanders, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports.
Israel ordered an investigation into possible war crimes over the allegations by some soldiers on Friday, Haaretz said.
At least 549 Palestinians have been killed and 4 066 injured while waiting for food aid distributed at sites run by the Israeli-and United States-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the Gaza government media office said on Thursday, Al Jazeera reported.
‘Killing field’
According to the Haaretz report, which quoted unnamed Israeli soldiers, troops were told to fire at the crowds of Palestinians and use unnecessary lethal force against people who appeared to pose no threat.
“We fired machineguns from tanks and threw grenades,” one soldier told Haaretz. “There was one incident where a group of civilians was hit while advancing under the cover of fog.”
In another instance, a soldier said that where they were stationed in Gaza, between “one and five people were killed every day”.
“It’s a killing field,” the soldier said.
Israel responds
The Israeli army “strongly rejected” the accusations in the report, according to a military statement published on Telegram.
“Any allegation of a deviation from the law or [military] directives will be thoroughly examined and further action will be taken as necessary. The allegations of deliberate fire toward civilians presented in the article are not recognised in the field,” it said.
ALSO READ: SA among 38 countries to present at ICJ hearings on Israel’s actions
