South Africa has submitted a request to the International Court of Justice to initiate proceedings against Israel for what it described as “acts of genocide against the Palestinian people” in the Gaza Strip, the court announced on Friday.

South Africa asserted that “Israel’s actions and omissions bear the character of genocide because they are accompanied by the requisite specific intent (...) to destroy the Palestinians of Gaza as part of the broader national, racial and ethnic group, that is, the Palestinians,” the International Court of Justice said in a statement.

The International Court of Justice of the United Nations is responsible for resolving conflicts between countries.

Last November, South African President Matamela Ramaphosa announced that his country had filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court in order to investigate “war crimes” committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip.

Ramaphosa said that his country believes that Israel is “committing war crimes and genocide in the Gaza Strip,” in which thousands of Palestinians were killed, in addition to the destruction of hospitals and public infrastructure.