The UN’s International Court of Justice is hearing a case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
The submission also calls on the court to order Israel to stop military operations there.
The ICJ will deliver only an opinion on the genocide allegation as the case is not a criminal trial, although it is being closely watched.
Israel has vehemently rejected the accusation as “baseless”.
There were angry scenes outside the ICJ’s Peace Palace on Thursday as Dutch police struggled to keep groups of Palestinian and Israeli supporters apart.
Hundreds of people waving Palestinian flags gathered outside the ICJ, calling for a ceasefire. Israeli supporters set up a screen showing images of some of the hostages still being held in Gaza.
South Africa will present its case on Thursday and Israel its defence on Friday.
In its submission, South Africa says Israel’s actions “are intended to bring about the destruction of a substantial part of the Palestinian national, racial and ethnical group”.
It says Israel’s actions include “killing Palestinians in Gaza, causing them serious bodily and mental harm, and inflicting on them conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction”.
It calls for “provisional measures” to be implemented by the court as a matter of urgency, including that Israel cease all military activities in Gaza.
