This is an entry from: Israel-Palestine live: Israel’s response to South Africa’s genocide case at the ICJ ends
Israel is operating in Gaza to protect civilians, says Israel at ICJ
12 January 2024 09:46 GMT
During his opening remarks, Becker rejected South Africa's description that the suffering in Gaza is "unparalleled and unprecedented."
Becker said that "What is unparalleled is the degree to which Hamas has entrenched itself in the civilian population," he added.
South Africa's request to stop Israel attacking Gaza "can not stand" said the Israeli advocate.
In other remarks Becker said:
- Hamas has systematically and unlawfully embedded its military operations, fighters and assets throughout Gaza
- “What Israel is doing is Gaza is not to destroy people but protect people. Its people,” he said. “Israel is in a war of defence against Hamas, not against the Palestinian people.”
- Hamas uses civilian infrastructure and fails to protect its civilians