Israel declares 4 hostages dead, Palestine seeks to join South Africa’s case.

The Israeli military confirms that four hostages captured by Hamas on October 7 have died in their captivity, and that their bodies are being held by the group on Monday. The announcement came days after US President Joe Biden made public that Israel had offered Hamas a deal to release all hostages that could potentially end the war. 

Meanwhile, at the ICJ, Palestinian officials seek to join the case put forth by South Africa, accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. As Israel has begun to face worldwide criticism for the massive loss in civilian lives amidst the war, Israel denies any allegations of genocide. 

The Israeli Hostages in Hamas Captivity

The four hostages were identified as Chaim Peri, Yoram Metzger, Amiram Cooper, and Nadav Popplewel, who were filmed in hostage videos posted by Hamas. The cause of death is not immediately known, and the bodies are reported to be held by Hamas still. In response to the deaths, Hamas claimed in May that one of the deceased, Nadav Popplewel, died owing to sustained injuries from an Israeli airstrike. No evidence was provided to confirm the claims. Currently, around 80 hostages in Gaza are believed to be alive, alongside 43 deceased. 

Reactions to the Deaths

Following the proposal of the Truce Deal, Israel has seen some of its largest protests calling on the government to bring back the hostages. The declaration of the deaths of the four men brought hundreds of people, including the captives’ relatives, to gather outside Israel’s Defense Ministry and other military headquarters located in central Tel Aviv calling for the adoption of a deal.

The deaths were confirmed in accordance with new intelligence gathered by the Israeli military, who claims that the deaths occurred in the southern Gazan city of Khan Younis a “number of months” ago. “We are thoroughly examining the circumstances of their deaths and checking all possibilities. We will soon present the findings, first to their families, and then to the public,” he said. “We will present them with transparency, as we have done until now,” says Military Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari. 

The Case against Israel

According to the court on Monday, Palestinian authorities have filed an application with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to join South Africa in its case against Israel. The Palestinian authorities officially recognized the ICJ’s authority in resolving all disputes that may have risen or will rise in accordance with Article IX on 31st May. The request that was published Monday describes Israel’s actions in the region as “part of a systematic effort to wipe Palestinian society and its culture and social institutions from the map.”

Last year, South Africa filed it’s against Israel using the 1958 Genocide Convention as its basis, alleging that Israel has breached the convention and been committing genocide in Gaza. In accordance with the treaty, the court is granted jurisdiction to rule on disputes between all signatories of the convention. Three preliminary orders had been issued by the court calling on Israel to increase humanitarian aid, prevent civilian deaths, and halt its offensive in Rafah. 

The Request made by Palestine

In their request, Palestine claims that they have been directly affected in the case filed by South Africa against Israel. It also states that Israel is continually violating the court’s orders, and carrying on “its genocidal acts including deliberately and systematically impeding humanitarian aid, resulting in an intentionally engineered situation of starvation and a creeping famine that is increasingly imminent.” 

Historically, the intervention seeked for by Palestine has only been granted by the ICJ on a few occasions since 1945. This raises questions as to whether the request would be accepted in the first place.