South Africa's Justice Minister, Ronald Lamola, asserted that Israel failed to disprove its violation of the 1948 Genocide Convention during the Gaza Strip carpet bombing campaign. Lamola expressed confidence in South Africa's compelling case and stated that Israel's defense at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) had fallen short.

He emphasized that genocidal attacks on Gaza, regardless of individual actions, cannot be justified. Israel's defense had earlier argued the "right to self-defense" and accused South Africa of acting as an emissary of Hamas, citing close relations between South Africa and the Palestinian group. In response, the Israeli Foreign Ministry labeled South Africa as "the legal arm of the Hamas terrorist organization."