President Cyril Ramaphosa says South Africa "condemns in the strongest terms the appalling slaughter and genocide of the people of Palestine", as the International Court of Justice hears South Africa's case accusing Israel of breaching the UN Genocide Convention in the Gaza war. The war began after Hamas's 7 October attacks on Israel which left around 1,140 people dead, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures. In response, Israel launched a massive military offensive against the Palestinian Islamist movement which has killed at least 23,800 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the strip's Hamas-run health ministry.
