The trial of Israel at the International Court of Justice at the Hague entered its second day on Friday morning.

At the hearing, Israel is expected to explain that the war in Gaza began only as a result of the October 7 massacre in Israel, which was perpetrated by the Hamas terror group, along with some of Gaza’s civilians.

Attorney Tal Becker, the Foreign Ministry’s legal adviser, noted that given the Jewish nation’s history, it is not surprising that Israel was one of the first nations in the world to adopt the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

• “For some people, the promise of, ‘Never again,’ is a slogan for Israel, and the first moral obligation,” he added, stressing that Israel did not want this war, and did not start the war. “This is a war against Hamas and Islamic Jihad and other terror organizations whose brutality knows no bounds.”
• “Hamas is trying to maximize the suffering of civilians in Gaza, while Israel is trying to minimize it.”

Describing the horrors of October 7, he said, “On October 7, during a Jewish holiday, thousands of Hamas terrorists and others infiltrated Israel from the sea, ground, and air.

• Under fire of thousands of rockets, a massacre was carried out, with mutilation and rape. They tortured children in front of their parents and parents in front of their children, burned babies alive and systematically raped women, men, and children. 1,200 were murdered, 240 were taken hostage, including infants, elderly, Holocaust survivors, and people with disabilities.”
• “If there are actions that can be described as genocide – it is the actions against Israel,” he emphasized. Becker also noted that responsibility falls on other countries to act against Hamas’ stated agenda of destroying the State of Israel – an agenda which Hamas is not secretive about.

Source: Arutz Sheva