LONDON — The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has granted Israel an additional two months to submit its written response in the ongoing genocide case filed by South Africa over the war in Gaza.
In an order dated Oct. 20, ICJ President Judge Yuji Iwasawa extended the deadline for Israel’s Counter-Memorial — its formal written defence — to March 12, 2026.
The move follows Israel’s request for a further extension, citing unresolved evidentiary issues and its involvement in related UN proceedings.
In its latest request, Israel argued that some of the documents referenced in South Africa’s earlier submissions were accessible only through hyperlinks and not included in the official record, making it difficult to assess their evidentiary value.
It also pointed to “significant attention and resources” devoted to separate proceedings before the court concerning a UN General Assembly request for an advisory opinion on the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The ICJ had initially set Oct. 28, 2024, as the deadline for South Africa to submit its written arguments and July 28, 2025, for Israel to file its counter-arguments, known as a counter-memorial.
South Africa met its deadline, but in April this year, Israel sought a six-month extension—a request that Pretoria opposed.
The court struck a compromise, granting a five-and-a-half-month delay, pushing Israel’s deadline to Jan. 12, 2026.
On Oct. 14, Israel asked the court for another extension, this time for at least five months.
South Africa opposed the delay, warning that another extension would undermine the urgency of the proceedings and tilt the procedural balance between the parties.
In a letter to the court, Pretoria maintained that the scope of its case had not changed and that Israel had already been granted an earlier extension in April 2025.
Despite these objections, the ICJ said that it considered the views of both parties before granting Israel’s request. The court also noted that the next steps will be decided at a later stage.
Since October 2023, Israel’s genocidal war has killed more than 68,200 victims and injured over 170,300, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. — Anadolu Agency
