Page:South Africa v. Israel (Order of 26 January 2024).pdf/23

 The Court has observed, in particular, that the Genocide Convention “was manifestly adopted for a purely humanitarian and civilizing purpose”, since “its object on the one hand is to safeguard the very existence of certain human groups and on the other to confirm and endorse the most elementary principles of morality” (Reservations to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, Advisory Opinion, I.C.J. Reports 1951, p. 23).

66. In view of the fundamental values sought to be protected by the Genocide Convention, the Court considers that the plausible rights in question in these proceedings, namely the right of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to be protected from acts of genocide and related prohibited acts identified in Article III of the Genocide Convention and the right of South Africa to seek Israel’s compliance with the latter’s obligations under the Convention, are of such a nature that prejudice to them is capable of causing irreparable harm (see Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (The Gambia v. Myanmar), Provisional Measures, Order of 23 January 2020, I.C.J. Reports 2020, pp. [sic] 26, para. 70).

67. During the ongoing conflict, senior United Nations officials have repeatedly called attention to the risk of further deterioration of conditions in the Gaza Strip. The Court takes note, for instance, of the letter dated 6 December 2023, whereby the Secretary-General of the United Nations brought the following information to the attention of the Security Council:

"“The health-care system in Gaza is collapsing …

Nowhere is safe in Gaza.

Amid constant bombardment by the Israel Defense Forces, and without shelter or the essentials to survive, I expect public order to completely break down soon due to the desperate conditions, rendering even limited humanitarian assistance impossible. An even worse situation could unfold, including epidemic diseases and increased pressure for mass displacement into neighbouring countries.

We are facing a severe risk of collapse of the humanitarian system. The situation is fast deteriorating into a catastrophe with potentially irreversible implications for Palestinians as a whole and for peace and security in the region. Such an outcome must be avoided at all costs.” (United Nations Security Council, doc. S/2023/962, 6 Dec. 2023.)"

68. On 5 January 2024, the Secretary-General wrote again to the Security Council, providing an update on the situation in the Gaza Strip and observing that “[s]adly, devastating levels of death and destruction continue” (Letter dated 5 January 2024 from the Secretary-General addressed to the President of the Security Council, United Nations Security Council, doc. S/2024/26, 8 Jan. 2024).

69. The Court also takes note of the 17 January 2024 statement issued by the UNRWA Commissioner-General upon returning from his fourth visit to the Gaza Strip since the beginning of