Cairo, Nov. 17, (dpa/GNA) – South Africa has called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague to investigate alleged war crimes committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said during a visit to Qatar on Wednesday evening that along with many other countries, South Africa “put through a referral because we believe that war crimes are being committed” in Gaza.
The crimes were being committed “in real time,” he said, citing the al-Shifa hospital as an example.
South Africa called on several countries to increase the pressure on Israel, which he said had got used to not following or implementing UN Security Council decisions.
Israel has been bombing targets in the Gaza Strip for weeks in response to the terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7, in which 1,200 people were killed.
Over 11,000 have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run authorities, the majority civilians.
Israel says however it must eliminate Hamas to protect its own population and accuses Palestinian militants of using the civilian Palestinian population in Gaza as human shields.
According to an unnamed military official on Thursday, Israeli troops had found Hamas control centres at the al-Shifa hospital.
The information could not be independently verified.
ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan has already indicated that the criminal court is investigating possible crimes on both the Palestinian and Israeli sides.
GNA