South Africa has submitted a dossier to the ICJ saying that Israel has failed to comply with binding measures to prevent genocide against Palestinians in Gaza
South Africa has submitted a dossier to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing Israel of continuing to disregard court orders intended to protect Palestinians amid the Gaza conflict, which is set to enter its third year.
The South African Foreign Ministry said on Friday that the dossier was submitted on 25 August to assist a committee of judges responsible for monitoring the implementation of provisional measures and recommending possible action to the court.
Pretoria said it presented the evidence after concluding that Israel had failed to comply with three legally binding provisional measures issued by the ICJ to protect the rights of Palestinians under the Genocide Convention.
South Africa launched legal proceedings against Israel at the ICJ on 29 December 2023, alleging violations of the 1948 Genocide Convention.
The court subsequently issued three separate provisional measures orders on 26 January, 28 March and 24 May 2024, after South Africa requested urgent intervention over the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
The rulings required Israel to take all necessary measures to prevent acts prohibited under the convention.
The court also ordered Israel to implement safeguards against potential genocidal acts, halt military operations in the southern Gaza city of Rafah where such operations could cause physical destruction to the Palestinian population, and provide regular reports on its compliance with the measures.
In its latest statement, South Africa said it would continue pursuing “all avenues available” to seek Israel’s full and immediate compliance with the court’s orders.
“Regrettably, Israel has not complied with the Orders,” Pretoria stated in the filing.
South Africa warned that the rights of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip could be “destroyed before [the ICJ] renders its final decision”, a situation it said threatened the "legitimacy of the ICJ itself".
The dossier stated that, as of August, at least 73,407 Palestinians had been killed and 174,335 injured, together representing "over 10% of the Palestinian population" of the Gaza Strip.
It also said that, since the announcement of a "so-called ‘ceasefire" in October 2025 the Israeli military had killed an average of one Palestinian child per day.
The submission further stated that miscarriage rates among Palestinian women had "increased more than three-fold" in 2026.
South Africa also said that Israel had “arbitrarily detained and deported Palestinians” who were subsequently “tortured, subjected to sexual and gender-based violence, and to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment”.
The department additionally accused Israel of killing local journalists and preventing foreign journalists and UN-mandated investigative bodies from entering Gaza.
Israel has repeatedly rejected allegations that it is committing genocide in Gaza, despite rights groups warning that the scale and nature of its violence, including killings, restrictions on humanitarian aid, mass displacement and the destruction of medical services, could amount to genocidal acts.
Rights groups have also pointed to statements by Israeli officials that they say indicate genocidal intent.
Despite a ceasefire in Gaza that has been in place since October 2025, Israeli attacks have continued across the devastated Palestinian enclave. Israel's military has killed at least 1,313 Palestinians since then, according to Gaza's health ministry.
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