Pretoria: South Africa has returned to the International Court of Justice with a fresh submission alleging that Israel has disregarded the court’s emergency orders meant to protect Palestinians in Gaza and ensure the flow of humanitarian aid.
The filing, submitted on August 25, forms part of South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the ICJ. Pretoria announced the development on Friday, saying the material documents what it considers Israel’s failure to implement a series of provisional measures issued by the Hague-based court during 2024.
South Africa initiated the case on December 29, 2023, accusing Israel of violating the Genocide Convention through its military campaign in Gaza. Israel has strongly denied the allegation, saying its operations are directed against Hamas and other armed groups, not Palestinian civilians.
The ICJ, while hearing the case, has issued three rounds of provisional measures. These interim directions are legally binding but do not amount to a final decision on South Africa’s claim that genocide has occurred.
Among other directions, the court asked Israel to prevent acts prohibited under the Genocide Convention and to facilitate the delivery of essential humanitarian aid to people in Gaza. In May 2024, it also ordered Israel to halt its Rafah offensive to the extent that it could create conditions of life capable of bringing about the physical destruction of Palestinians in Gaza.
Pretoria said the latest dossier was intended to demonstrate that these directions had not been implemented.
“Regrettably, Israel has not complied with the Orders,” the South African government said, adding that it would continue to seek Israel’s “full and immediate compliance” with the ICJ’s measures.
The submission cites the mounting human cost of the Gaza war and worsening living conditions in the territory. According to figures cited by South Africa, at least 73,407 Palestinians have been killed and 174,335 injured in Gaza since October 7, 2023.
It further said that around 46,000 people who survived the conflict, including children, were living with serious injuries such as amputations and brain and spinal-cord trauma.
South Africa argued that Gaza’s humanitarian crisis had deepened as the space available for civilians continued to shrink. It cited shortages of drinking water, medical care, medicines and other basic supplies, and warned that the conditions threatened to cause further irreversible harm before the ICJ delivered its eventual judgment.
The government also referred to violence reported after a ceasefire agreement came into force on October 10, 2025. It said more than 1,300 Palestinians had been killed and more than 4,330 injured since then, while rescue workers had recovered hundreds of bodies from beneath destroyed buildings.
The new material has been submitted under Article 11 of the ICJ’s Rules concerning Internal Judicial Practice. The provision enables a committee to examine information placed before the court by the parties on whether its provisional measures are being carried out.
South Africa has previously raised concerns over compliance with the ICJ’s Gaza orders at the United Nations. It submitted information to the UN Security Council in May 2024 and again in February and September 2025, urging states to take steps to prevent and punish genocide and uphold the court’s rulings.
It also presented material relating to starvation in Gaza before the UN General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council in October 2025.
The main case is likely to take several years to conclude. Israel has already submitted its response to South Africa’s application and has challenged the ICJ’s jurisdiction in the matter.
South Africa, however, said it would continue its legal efforts, maintaining that the provisional measures were designed to safeguard Palestinians’ rights under the Genocide Convention until the court reaches a final verdict.