South Africa has officially rejected the accusations made by Israel against United Nations institutions, particularly targeting the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
These remarks were made by Zane Dangor, Director General of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), during a press conference in The Hague following sessions of the International Court of Justice held on Thursday and Friday. These sessions addressed a request from South Africa to impose additional measures on Israel, augmenting those previously specified by the court in the ongoing case.
Dangor, accompanied by South Africa’s Ambassador to The Hague, Vusi Madonsela, and the Palestinian Assistant Foreign Minister for Multilateral Relations, Ammar Hijazi, stated that South Africa firmly rejects the Israeli accusations against international institutions and agencies monitoring violations in the Gaza Strip, particularly OCHA. He emphasised that the evidence in the genocide case file clearly presents the facts.
He underscored that this evidence demonstrates the extent of the destruction in Gaza. Additionally, he rejected Israel’s assertions that UN data on Gaza’s population is not reliable.
Dangor also noted that the Israeli army has been preventing UN officials, journalists, and representatives of other international organisations from entering the Gaza Strip.
On Friday, the International Court of Justice concluded its hearings on South Africa’s request for additional measures in the genocide case against Israel, following the Israeli army’s operation in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip.
On January 26, the ICJ ordered Tel Aviv to implement measures to prevent acts of genocide against Palestinians and improve the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.