Israel on Friday rejected allegations that it is committing genocide in Gaza, arguing before the International Court of Justice that the soaring death toll was an unavoidable consequence of its battle against a militant army that has embedded itself in civilian areas and seeks to repeat the Oct. 7 attacks.

In a landmark hearing Thursday, South Africa outlined its claim that Israel’s bombing and siege of Gaza showed its “intent” to commit genocide against Palestinians and urged the court to order a stop to the violence.

During three hours of remarks on Friday, the Israeli delegation dismissed the plausibility of genocide in Gaza and said that ordering Israel to stop military operations would leave Israeli civilians at risk. They accused South Africa of presenting a “grossly distorted” picture by largely ignoring the role of Hamas in the fighting and of “weaponizing” the international convention against genocide.

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This week’s hearings will not assess whether Israel has committed genocide. Rather, judges will in the coming days consider South Africa’s call for provisional measures — interim steps aimed at stopping things from getting worse while the case plays out.

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