AN Irish lawyer has told the International Court of Justice that the ongoing conflict in Gaza has become “the first genocide where victims are broadcasting their own destruction in real time in the desperate, so far vain hope that the world might do something.”
Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh, who has previously worked representing families on the Bloody Sunday Inquiry, was speaking at the Hague as part of South Africa’s case against Israel.
She told the International Court of Justice that the situation in Gaza “could not be more urgent” as civilians on the ground face “relentless attack.”
Urging the UN court to immediately order Israel to suspend its military campaign, which she said amounted to genocide against Palestinian civilians.
“Nowhere, and nobody is safe,” she said.
“People are facing the highest levels of food insecurity ever recorded.
“Today, Israel’s hindrances to the imports of food and essential items have brought Gaza to the brink of famine.”
Irish lawyer Blinne Ni Ghralaigh who is supporting South Africa's legal team at the ICJ, says the number of orphans caused by ‘Israel’s genocidal assault on the Palestinian population in Gaza’ has led to the need for a new acronym: WCNSF - wounded child, no surviving family. pic.twitter.com/i63iXKMaIN
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) January 11, 2024
She continued, “Some might say that the very reputation of international law, its ability and willingness to bind and to protect all people equally hangs in the balance.”
Stating that the bombardment was even more intense than in Ukraine, she said that entire, multi-generational families would be “obliterated”.
“And yet more Palestinian children will become WCNSF: Wounded Child. No Surviving Family. The terrible new acronym born out of Israel’s genocidal assault on the Palestinian population in Gaza.
“Each day, over ten Palestinian children will have one or both legs amputated, many without anaesthetic.”
She said the destruction also risked “irreparable harm” to Palestinian society, with most schools, bookshops and libraries seriously damaged or destroyed, while hundreds of teachers and academics had been killed.
Since South Africa had initiated proceedings on December 29, she said an estimated 1,703 Palestinians had been killed and over 3,000 were injured.
“The real problem is that, the way Israel is conducting this offensive means that the conditions for the effective delivery of humanitarian aid no longer exist,” she said.
According to the legal website, Matrix Law, Ms Ní Ghrálaigh has a reputation as a “fiercely intelligent barrister” with extensive experience across human rights and international law.
Admitted to the bar on both sides of the Irish border and in England and Wales, she also sits on the International Criminal Court’s List of Counsel.
