Egypt has announced that it will intervene in support of South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. The move comes in response to the growing scale of Israel’s operations in Gaza and their impact on civilians. This decision reflects increasing tensions between the two neighboring countries as Israel’s actions in Rafah challenge long-standing agreements and security cooperation.
The Egyptian foreign ministry stated that the decision to intervene in the case was made in response to the expansion of Israeli violations against civilians in Gaza. While Egypt did not provide specific details on the nature of their intervention, they have previously presented arguments in the case. South Africa had requested the court to order Israel to withdraw from Rafah as part of additional emergency measures in an ongoing case accusing Israel of genocide.
According to Egyptian security sources, Egyptian officials communicated to Israel their blame for the strained bilateral relations and the breakdown of ceasefire talks involving delegations from Hamas, Israel, the United States, Egypt, and Qatar in Cairo. Hamas, the governing body in Gaza, expressed appreciation for Egypt’s decision to join the lawsuit filed by South Africa.
Regarding the 1979 treaty between Egypt and Israel in relation to Rafah operation, Sameh Shoukry emphasized its importance for security while mentioning that it has mechanisms to address any violations. However, he did not elaborate on these mechanisms which could have significant implications for regional dynamics between Egypt, Israel and Palestinian territories.
