By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
South Africa submitted a substantial dossier to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on August 25, 2026, detailing Israel’s failure to follow the court’s Provisional Measures Orders (PMO) regarding Gaza.
South Africa filed the genocide case against Israel at the tribunal based in The Hague in late 2023, saying Israel, which has bombed Gaza since last October, of failing to uphold its commitments under the 1948 Genocide Convention.
Several countries, including Türkiye, Nicaragua, Palestine, Spain, Mexico, Libya, and Colombia, have joined the case.
The top court in May ordered Israel to halt its offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. It was the third time the 15-judge panel issued preliminary orders seeking to rein in the death toll and alleviate humanitarian suffering in the blockaded enclave, where the casualty count has crossed 44,000.
The dossier was submitted on Tuesday, 25 August 2026, to help an ICJ committee assess Israel’s compliance with the legally binding provisional measures.
International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola says Israel has failed to comply with the orders and continues to pursue all available legal avenues.
Lamola said, “The dossier was submitted pursuant to Article 11 of the ICJ’s rules concerning Internal Judicial Practice, which provides that such a committee “shall examine information supplied by the parties in relation of provisional measures”.
As of August 2026, at least 73 407 Palestinians have been killed and 174 335 injured in Gaza since 7 October 2023: over 10% of the Palestinian population in Gaza. A total of 46 000 of the surviving Palestinians in Gaza, including children, are estimated to live with severe conflict-related injuries, including amputations, traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries.
South Africa’s submission reaffirms its commitment to upholding and defending international law and multilateral institutions, including the UN’s principal judicial organ, added Lamola.