Israel responded to what it described as a "profoundly distorted" and "malevolent" genocide case against it at the UN's top court on Friday by declaring that it was not attempting to eliminate the Palestinian people.
In an emergency case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Israel's leading attorney, Tal Becker, argued that South Africa had "regrettably put before the court a profoundly distorted factual and legal picture."
Using videos and pictures, Becker painted a graphic image of the horrors of the October 7 attacks for the robed judges in the Peace Palace in The Hague, where the ICJ sits.
He emphasized that Israel had responded in self-defense and was not targeting the Gaza Strip's Palestinian residents.
"Israel is in a war of defense against Hamas, not against the Palestinian people," Becker stated.
"In these circumstances, there can hardly be a charge more false and more malevolent than the allegation against Israel of genocide."
Meanwhile, Palestinian health officials reported on Friday that at least 151 people have died as a result of Israel's most recent attacks on Gaza, including 11 people who were killed in a single house. Meanwhile, the UN humanitarian agency accused Israel of impeding its attempts to provide aid to the north.
According to Gaza health officials, 11 people were killed by a single airstrike at daybreak at a home in Deir Al-Balah owned by the well-known Fayad family.
Israel stated that it needed additional details before it could comment. It had earlier claimed that its forces had eliminated numerous militants in Khan Younis, a city in the south, and the neighboring city of Maghazi.
According to Palestinian doctors, an Israeli strike that targeted a crowd of people on a major road connecting Gaza's central and southern regions resulted in the death of one more Palestinian and the wounding of several more.