Many people in South Africa and other parts of the African continent are closely watching the case that opened at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague on Thursday.

"All African countries should support South Africa in this step," Modou Jawo, a resident of the Gambian capital, Banjul, told DW. "What Israel is doing is killing innocent people."

South Africa's case against Israel at the ICJ is one of three currently before the top United Nations (UN) court, often described as the "World Court."

The other cases include one that was filed by Ukraine shortly after Russia's invasion, accusing Moscow of launching the military operation based on trumped-up claims of genocide, and in turn accusing Russia of planning acts of genocide in Ukraine itself.

Lastly, in November 2019, Gambia filed a case at the ICJ on behalf of Muslim nations. It accuses Myanmar of genocide against the Rohingya Muslim minority. Gambia is predominantly Muslim and a member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which boasts about 30 African member states and is backing South Africa's case against Israel.

In 2020, during an early stage of proceedings, the ICJ ruled in favor of Gambia, ordering Myanmar to "take all measures within its power" to prevent the commission of acts defined in the convention — including ensuring that its military and any irregular armed units refrain........

© Deutsche Welle