South Africa has called for an immediate end to the Israeli military offensive in Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip before the International Court of Justice.
The justices must stop the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian population, said South Africa's legal representative, Professor Vaughan Lowe, at the highest court of the United Nations in The Hague on Thursday.
"Israel's actions in Rafah are part of the endgame in which Gaza is utterly destroyed as an area capable of human habitation," he said. "This is the last step in the destruction of Gaza and its Palestinian people."
The situation for the people had deteriorated extremely. Rafah is the "last refuge for around 1.5 million people," he said.
South Africa is demanding Israel's immediate withdrawal from the south of the Gaza Strip and unhindered access for humanitarian aid. Independent investigators and journalists must also be allowed in.
This is the fourth time that South Africa has demanded measures against Israel in urgent proceedings. It is part of the genocide case that the country submitted to the Court in December.
In two emergency rulings, the UN judges had already obliged Israel to do everything possible to prevent genocide and to allow humanitarian aid. According to South Africa, Israel has ignored these decisions.
Israel will respond on Friday. It has already firmly rejected all accusations and, despite warnings from the United States and other allies, is continuing its attacks on Rafah, saying it is a Palestinian Islamist Hamas stronghold.
Hamas and other extremist groups attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people. It is unclear when the court will rule on the urgent appeal. Its decisons are binding. The genocide claim could drag on for years.