More than a dozen countries have already filed an application for permission to intervene in the case, including Colombia, Libya, Spain, Chile, Ireland, Cuba and Brazil.

Belgium formally filed a declaration of intervention at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the case brought by South Africa against Israel over alleged violations of the Genocide Convention in the Gaza Strip, the court announced on Tuesday.

The ICJ confirmed in a statement that Belgium “invoking Article 63 of the Statute of the Court, filed in the Registry of the Court 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 (South Africa v. Israel).”

PRESS RELEASE: #Belgium today filed a declaration of intervention under Article 63 of the #ICJ Statute in the case #SouthAfrica v. #Israel.

Link to the press release: https://t.co/8oJOW1HuAv pic.twitter.com/vi3UMh5RNG

— CIJ_ICJ (@CIJ_ICJ) December 23, 2025

Article 63 states that states that are parties to a convention under interpretation in ICJ proceedings have the right to intervene.

‘Specific Intent’ of Genocide

Belgium emphasized that its intervention focuses on Articles I through VI of the Genocide Convention, with particular attention to Article II, specifically regarding the interpretation of the “specific intent” required for genocidal intent, the Anadolu news agency reported.

The court has invited both South Africa and Israel to provide written observations on Belgium’s intervention, in line with Article 83 of the Rules of Court.

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Article 63 affords States not parties to a dispute the right to intervene in a case when that case concerns the construction of a convention to which they are also parties; the interpretation of the relevant parts of that convention given by the Court in its decision in the case will then be equally binding on those States, the court explained.

Support from Several States

South Africa filed the case against Israel on December 29, 2023, accusing it of violating obligations under the Genocide Convention in its actions against Palestinians in Gaza. Since then, the court has issued a series of provisional measures ordering Israel to take steps to prevent acts of genocide.

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More than a dozen other countries have filed an application for permission to intervene in the case either under Article 62 or Article 63 of the Statute, including Colombia, Libya, Spain, Chile, Ireland, Cuba and Brazil.

The ICJ, based in The Hague, is the principal judicial organ of the UN and adjudicates legal disputes between states.

Over 70,000 Killed

The Israeli military, with American support, launched a genocidal war against the people of Gaza in October 2023, resulting in the deaths of over 70,000 Palestinians, with more than 170,000 wounded.

The vast majority of the population has been displaced, and the destruction of infrastructure is unprecedented since World War II. Thousands of people are still missing.

In addition to the military assault, the Israeli blockade has caused a man-made famine, leading to the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians—mostly children—with hundreds of thousands more at risk.

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A US-brokered ceasefire agreement came into effect on October 10. Since then, however, the Israeli army has committed 875 ceasefire violations, resulting in the death of over 400 Palestinians and injury of more than 1,100 others, according to the Gaza media office.

Despite widespread international condemnation, little has been done to hold Israel accountable. The nation is currently under investigation for genocide by the International Court of Justice, while accused war criminals, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, are officially wanted by the International Criminal Court.

(PC, Anadolu)