News

submitted by /u/toronto_star to r/worldnews [link] [comments]

Iceland and Netherlands intervene in ICJ South Africa v Israel genocide case MEE staff on Thu, 03/12/2026 - 16:57 The move adds to an expanding list of governments weighing in on the high-profile Gaza case before the UN’s highest court President of the International Court of Justice Yuji Iwasawa chairs a hearing in The Hague on 22 October 2025 (AFP) Off Iceland and the Netherlands filed declarations to intervene in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Thursday, bringing the number of countries seeking to participate in the proceedings to 18. Both states filed declarations under Article 63 of the court’s statute, which allows countries that are parties to a treaty at issue in a case to intervene in order to present their interpretation of that treaty. The case, brought by South Africa in December 2023, accuses Israel of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention through its military campaign in Gaza since October 2023. Israel has so far killed over 70,000 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them women and children. South Africa argues that Israel’s actions in Gaza amount to genocide, including through killing Palestinians, causing serious bodily or mental harm and imposing conditions of life calculated to bring about the group’s destruction. Israel denies committing genocide. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); But a UN commission of inquiry concluded last September that Israel has committed genocide (the gravest crime under international law) in Gaza since 7 October 2023. The UN report’s authors, including legal experts Navi Pillay and Chris Sidoti, told Middle East Eye that the report used evidence and a similar methodology in its analysis to that which will be used by the ICJ. On Thursday, Israel is scheduled to submit its counter-memorial, or arguments in response to South Africa's filings, after several deadline extensions by the court. The court has yet to announce that Israel has filed its evidence, however. Mass interventions  The new interventions by Iceland and the Netherlands come as a growing number of states seek to weigh in on the interpretation of the Genocide Convention in the case. Under Article 63, interventions have already been filed by Colombia, Libya, Mexico, Palestine, Spain, Turkey, Chile, the Maldives, Bolivia, Ireland, Cuba, Belize, Brazil, the Comoros, Belgium and Paraguay. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Palestine and Belize have also sought to intervene under Article 62 of the ICJ statute, which allows states to apply to join proceedings if they believe they have a legal interest that could be affected by the court’s decision. Article 63 interventions do not make intervening states parties to the dispute. Instead, they allow them to submit observations on how the relevant treaty – in this case the Genocide Convention – should be interpreted. Genocide in Gaza: How many Palestinians did Israel kill? Read More » In its declaration, Iceland said the Convention must be interpreted in a way that supports its fundamental aim of preventing and punishing genocide. It argued that genocidal intent can often be inferred from patterns of conduct rather than direct evidence. Iceland also said the court should consider whether actions such as deprivation of food, shelter or medical care could constitute conditions of life intended to destroy a protected group, and emphasised the particular vulnerability of children in assessing serious bodily or mental harm. The Netherlands, in its filing, said the court should take into account patterns of conduct and circumstantial evidence when determining genocidal intent. It also argued that forced displacement and the withholding of humanitarian aid could, depending on the circumstances, contribute to acts prohibited under the Convention. Both countries stressed that their interventions were limited to questions of treaty interpretation and did not address the factual allegations in the case. The proceedings are one of the most closely watched disputes ever heard by the ICJ and have drawn an unusually large number of third-state interventions. The court has already ordered Israel in binding provisional measures to take steps to prevent acts that breach the Convention and to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, while stopping short of ordering a ceasefire. Israel has been accused of repeatedly violating the court's orders.  A final ruling on whether Israel has breached the Genocide Convention could take until 2028, experts have previously told Middle East Eye. Israel's genocide in Gaza News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

No injuries reported in incident in Duma village, near Nablus; message sprayed on wall references illegal outpost in area; Israel Police condemns incident, opens probe The post Settlers said to graffiti and try to torch West Bank mosque; entrance damaged appeared first on The Times of Israel.

UN says 3.2 million people now displaced in Iran as a result of US-Israeli war MEE staff on Thu, 03/12/2026 - 11:15 Humanitarian needs look set to increase as the war continues, jeopardising millions of already vulnerable refugees Arafat Jamal (L), representative of the UNHCR in Afghanistan, speaks with Afghan nationals upon their arrival from Iran amid the Middle East war, 10 March 2026 (Mohsen Karimi/AFP) Off The number of people displaced within Iran since the start of the US and Israel’s war on the country has reached 3.2 million, according to the UN’s refugee agency, UNHCR. The number represents between 600,000 and one million households now temporarily displaced owing to the war that began on 28 February. “This figure is likely to continue rising as hostilities persist, marking a worrying escalation in humanitarian needs,” Ayaki Ito, the agency's emergency coordinator for the Middle East said. A large number of those affected are people fleeing the capital Tehran, with 100,000 leaving in the first two days of the war. Many of those affected already have refugee status after fleeing countries such as Afghanistan, with Iran being a long-time host of 1.65 million people forced to flee the war in that country. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The growing humanitarian crisis in Iran reflects a broader pattern of displacement across the region since the war began. Across the affected countries, nearly 25 million people were already refugees, internally displaced, or people who had only recently returned home, making further displacement almost inevitable, the UN agency said. In Lebanon the number of people forced to flee their homes since Israel began its bombardment has reached 800,000, according to aid agencies, with almost 100,000 sheltering in 440 collective sites, according to the Lebanese government. The UNHCR's most recent figures show at least 33,600 Syrians and some 3,000 Lebanese have crossed into Syria. War on Iran News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

TEHRAN, Mar. 12 (MNA) – An adviser to the late Leader of the Islamic Revolution has said that US forces will certainly be defeated in the conflict with the powerful Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The Iran War Is Breaking Global Humanitarian Aid Efforts  Council on Foreign Relations

Up to 3.2 million people displaced inside Iran by war, UN says The UN refugee agency said on Thursday that up to 3.2 million people have been displaced inside Iran since the war began on 28 February. "This figure is likely to continue rising as hostilities persist, marking a worrying escalation in humanitarian needs," UNHCR said in a statement, citing preliminary assessments based on the number of uprooted households.

submitted by /u/dekaustubh to r/worldnews [link] [comments]

Why civilian harm is difficult to measure in short urban air campaigns  European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR)

TEHRAN, Mar. 12 (MNA) – Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman has said that Germany has sided on the wrong side of history by ignoring the cruelty and crimes of the US and Israeli aggressors.

submitted by /u/PjeterPannos to r/MiddleEastNews [link] [comments]

TEHRAN, Mar. 12 (MNA) –The Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian administration's head of Information Council has said the administration has stood by the Iranian Armed Forces to defend the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country.

Qatar launches emergency aid for displaced families in Lebanon Qatar has launched an urgent humanitarian response to support more than 40,500 families displaced by escalating military violence in Lebanon, the Embassy of Qatar in Lebanon said. “In light of the sharp military escalation in the sisterly Republic of Lebanon and the resulting massive displacement, the State of Qatar has announced an urgent humanitarian response to support affected families,” the embassy said in a statement. The aid, provided through the Qatar Fund for Development with Qatar Charity and the Qatar Red Crescent Society, includes more than 12,000 food baskets as well as blankets, mattresses and hygiene kits. A family break their fast at iftar during Ramadan, as they sit on the street where they have been living following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel amid the US-Israeli war with Iran, in Beirut, Lebanon, 10 March, 2026. (Reuters/Claudia Greco)

TEHRAN, Mar. 12 (MNA) – The Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has said that its force will open the gates of fire on Israel and US, denouncing the aggressors for their ongoing unprovoked aggression against Iran.

Richard Kahn said to tell US lawmakers about sex offender's ties to Ehud Barak, reportedly says he saw no sex abuse, can't remember some transactions and communications The post Epstein’s longtime accountant testifies on source of his wealth, ties to the rich appeared first on The Times of Israel.

TEHRAN, Mar. 12 (MNA) – The head of Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran, Mehdi Taj, said Iran’s women’s national team faced police intervention in Sydney after a match.

TEHRAN, Mar. 12 (MNA) – Iran's Government spokeswoman has said that 216 women and 198 children, aged below 18 years, have been martyred following the recent US-Israeli aggression against Iran.

Ahead of HIAS's annual 'Refugee Shabbat,' Jewish clergy from 45 states invoke biblical commandments, say 'tradition is clear' in support of refugees, immigrants, and asylum seekers The post ‘Do not oppress the stranger’: 1,000-plus US rabbis sign letter backing immigrant rights appeared first on The Times of Israel.

TEHRAN, Mar. 12 (MNA) – Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has said that slaughtering 168 little Iranian angels in Minab is an unforgivable crime.

TEHRAN, Mar. 12 (MNA) – Chief Commander of the Army Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran Major General Amir Hatami has said that his forces have been fully prepared to defend the country with all their might and power.