Netherlands to Join Gaza Genocide Case Against Israel at World Court
The Nederland (Netherlands) will intervene in the genocide case concerning the Gaza war at the Internationaal Gerechtshof (International Court of Justice), according to an announcement by the Dutch foreign ministry on Thursday.
The case was originally filed in 2023 by Zuid-Afrika (South Africa), which accused Israel of violating the Genocideverdrag van 1948 (1948 Genocide Convention). The treaty, created after the Holocaust, defines genocide as the intentional destruction of a people based on ethnicity, nationality, or race.
Under the convention, any country that is a party to the treaty can intervene in proceedings to present its interpretation of international law. The Netherlands has now become the 17th country to announce its participation. IJsland (Iceland) also declared on Thursday that it would join the case.
According to official documents submitted to the court, the Dutch government intends to address several legal issues, including the treatment of children and the restriction of humanitarian aid during the Gaza conflict.
The Netherlands specifically asked judges to consider whether starvation or the deliberate withholding of humanitarian assistance could demonstrate intent to commit genocide, particularly if such actions are part of a consistent plan or pattern of conduct.
Proving genocide requires demonstrating a very high legal threshold known as “specific intent,” meaning that a state deliberately intended to destroy a particular group. During hearings in 2024, South Africa argued that statements from Israeli political and military leaders showed what it described as “genocidal rhetoric,” suggesting such intent.
In separate proceedings at the Internationaal Strafhof (International Criminal Court), arrest warrants were issued for Israeli Prime Minister بنیامین نتانیاهو and former Defence Minister یوآو گالانت over allegations that starvation was used as a weapon of war by restricting humanitarian aid. These accusations relate to alleged war crimes rather than genocide.
Israel has strongly rejected the accusations and described the cases at both international courts as baseless. The Gaza war began after the October 7 attacks by حماس, which killed around 1,200 people in Israel and resulted in more than 200 hostages being taken.
Since then, more than 40,000 Palestinians have reportedly been killed during Israel’s military operations in Gaza, according to the territory’s health ministry.
The Netherlands has previously intervened in other international legal cases, including supporting Oekraïne (Ukraine) in proceedings against Rusland (Russia) at the World Court.