South Africa returns to ICJ
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation said the filing was submitted under Article 11 of the court’s Resolution concerning its internal judicial practice, and it stressed that the provisional measures ordered by the ICJ are legally binding.
A NewsSouth Africa’s statement said Israel “has not complied with these orders,” and it added that Palestinian survivors in the Gaza Strip continue to endure further trauma under “dire humanitarian conditions in an increasingly shrinking area.”
SANA reported that the statement said Israeli violations of the ceasefire in effect since Oct. 10, 2025, have killed more than 1,300 Palestinians and wounded over 4,330 others, while rescue teams have recovered hundreds of bodies from beneath the rubble.
The filing also cited Palestinian Health Ministry figures that the Israeli genocidal war on the Gaza Strip has killed 73,438 Palestinians and wounded 174,447 others since Oct. 7, 2023.
Binding orders and monitoring
PressTV said the submission was formally handed over on 25 August 2026 to assist an ICJ committee of judges tasked with monitoring implementation of the court’s orders in Gaza.
PressTV described South Africa’s dossier as documenting Israel’s refusal to adhere to the court’s binding provisional measures and said the non-compliance “directly undermines the protective functions of international justice.”
Al-Jazira NetHürriyet Daily News reported that South Africa’s Foreign Ministry said on Aug. 28 that the dossier had been filed three days earlier under Article 11 of the court’s Resolution concerning Internal Judicial Practice.
Hürriyet Daily News quoted the ministry saying, “Regrettably, Israel has not complied with the orders,” and it added that South Africa would continue to use all available avenues to seek full and immediate compliance.
The same Hürriyet Daily News report said the ICJ issued provisional measures on Jan. 26, March 28 and May 24, 2024, and that the court instructed Israel to prevent acts prohibited under the convention, facilitate urgently needed humanitarian aid, and halt military action in Rafah that could create conditions threatening the physical destruction of Palestinians.
Human toll and legal stakes
A News reported that the dossier notes that as of August, at least 73,407 Palestinians have been killed and 174,335 injured, and it said the submission asserted that since the announcement of a “so-called ‘ceasefire,’” the Israeli military has killed one Palestinian child on average every day.
A News also said South Africa asserted that miscarriage rates among Palestinian women have “increased more than three-fold” in 2026, and it claimed Israel has “arbitrarily detained and deported Palestinians” who were subsequently “tortured, subjected to sexual and gender-based violence, and to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.”
QNA reported that South Africa said Palestinians in Gaza are facing extremely difficult living conditions, amid shrinking living spaces and being deprived of adequate water, healthcare, medicines, and other basic necessities of life.
QNA added that South Africa stressed the Court’s orders are binding on Israel and that Israel did not comply, while it said South Africa will continue to use all available means to ensure full and immediate compliance with the Court’s decisions.
