Palestinians inspect the destroyed building after an Israeli attack at the Et-Tabiin school where displaced people took shelter in the Ed-Deraj neighbourhood in Gaza City. (Mahmoud Issa/Anadolu via Getty Images)
He said the Israeli ministry has not provided evidence to back its claim that the Al-Tabaeen school it struck on Saturday, killing more than a hundred people, served as “a hideout for Hamas terrorists” and commanders of the movement.
“South Africa continues to maintain that there is no legal, ethical, or moral justification for the bombardment of non-combatants and destruction of civilian sites,” Phiri said.
“Israel, as the occupying power, has a duty to protect civilians in Gaza. It is inhumane to endanger the lives of Palestinians who have sought refuge from intense bombardment and gun battles.”
Zane Dangor, the director general of international relations, suggested that South Africa’s legal team would raise the attack as evidence of continued disregard for civilian safety in Gaza when it submits an affidavit to the International Court of Justice in October in the context of its case accusing Israel of perpetrating genocide in the enclave.
Dangor stressed that the court has issued four provisional orders against Israel while it weighs the application, where a ruling may take years.
In May, the court ordered Israel to immediately halt its military operations in Rafah in southern Gaza. Although South Africa hailed the ruling as ground-breaking, Israel dismissed that and the other interim orders, insisting that its military offensive was in line with international law.
“These orders are essentially binding. So our legal team is looking at that but we are also looking at the fact that we have to … have to submit a memorial on the merits of the case in October,” Dangor said.
He added that South Africa was “looking at perhaps going the Security Council route, so our team is already engaging with various delegations in New York”.
South Africa was hopeful that Algeria, the Arab representative on the United Nations Security Council, would revive a proposal for a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire, Dangor said.
Algeria, a non-permanent member of the council, on Saturday confirmed that it had requested an emergency meeting of the council in response to the attack on Al-Tabaeen school.