Israel spent three hours on Friday denying allegations it is committing genocide in Gaza, arguing before the International Court of Justice in The Hague that rising death tolls are a consequence of war and that halting military operations would leave civilians at risk for additional violence. 

Friday’s comments were in response to South Africa asking the United Nations’s top court to order a halt to Israeli military operations in the area. While a final decision could take years, South Africa asked the ICJ to issue a preliminary order for Israel to stop the fighting immediately.