Belgium has officially submitted a request to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to join South Africa’s case accusing Israel of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip.

The court stated that Belgium’s intervention focuses on interpreting the concept of “intent to commit genocide” as outlined in Article 2 of the Genocide Convention.

Belgium had previously recognized the State of Palestine and imposed sanctions on Israeli officials.

South Africa filed the lawsuit against Israel on December 29, 2023, accusing it of violating its obligations under the Genocide Convention in its actions against Palestinians in Gaza. Subsequently, several other countries joined the case, including Turkey, Brazil, Colombia, Ireland, Mexico, and Spain.