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Mexico requests to join Gaza genocide case against Israel at World Court

Judges Gomez Robledo, Hilary Charlesworth, Yuji Iwasawa, Xue Hanqin and Ronny Abraham arrive at the International Court of Justice at the start of a hearing where South Africa requests new emergency measures over Israel's attacks on Rafah, as part of an ongoing case South Africa filed at the ICJ in December last year accusing Israel of violating the Genocide Convention during its offensive against Palestinians in Gaza, in The Hague Netherlands May 16, 2024. (Reuters)

By Mwangi Maina | Tuesday, May 28, 2024

Israeli attacks have devastated the Gaza Strip since the October 7 attack.

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Mexico is the latest nation to officially back South Africa in its International Court of Justice (ICJ) case against Israel.

Filing a declaration of intervention under Article 63, Mexico cites the destruction of cultural heritage and deliberate obstruction of humanitarian assistance as factors contributing to the plight of Palestinians.

“On May 24, 2024, Mexico, invoking Article 63 of the Statute of the Court, filed in the Registry of the Court a declaration of intervention in the case concerning the Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel),” the World Court said on Tuesday evening.

Israeli attacks have devastated the Gaza Strip since the October 7 attack. The conflict has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry. Israel says the Oct. 7 attack, the worst in its 75-year history, killed 1,200 people, with more than 250 hostages taken.

Mexico has previously expressed ‘growing worry’ over ‘escalation of violence’ in a referral to the International Criminal Court over possible crimes.

The International Court of Justice called on Israel last week to end its operation in Rafah, the southernmost town in Gaza.

Over the last two weeks, Israel has reduced entire neighbourhoods in Rafah to rubble and forcefully displaced hundreds of thousands of people.

Israel says it needs to move into Rafah to complete its mission of defeating Hamas. However, the ICJ ruled that Israel’s war aims effectively violate the rights of Palestinians under the Genocide Convention.

PRESS RELEASE: Mexico, invoking Article 63 of the #ICJ Statute, filed a declaration of intervention in the case concerning Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (#SouthAfrica v. #Israel) https://t.co/kruJovhrXx pic.twitter.com/tSHs81sCfB
— CIJ_ICJ (@CIJ_ICJ) May 28, 2024