Nicaragua has accused Germany of aiding and abetting ‘genocide’ in the Gaza Strip.

Nicaragua made the accusation before the International Court of Justice in The Hague on Monday.

By supplying arms to Israel, Germany is facilitating genocide and violating international law, Nicaragua’s legal representatives told the UN’s highest court.

Germany, however, denied the accusation.

Meanwhile, Israel firmly rejected any violation of the Genocide Convention and invoked its right to self-defence following the massacres by the Islamist Hamas and other extremist Palestinian organisations on October 7, 2023.

Nicaragua initially wanted to use summary proceedings to ensure that Germany would stop supplying arms to Israel.

In addition, it wanted the judges to order Germany to resume support for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Gaza Strip.

Nicaragua argued that by providing political, financial, and military support to Israel and suspending funding for UNRWA, Germany was enabling genocide and not fulfilling its duty to prevent it.

German representatives would not officially address the court until Tuesday.

The hearings are scheduled to last two days, and a decision is expected in about two weeks.

The court’s decisions are binding.

Although neither Germany nor Nicaragua are directly involved in the war, both states have signed the UN Genocide Convention, which includes an undertaking to prevent acts of genocide.

This is the second genocide complaint before the UN court in connection with the war in the Gaza Strip.

South Africa accused Israel of genocide against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip at the end of 2023 and called for a ceasefire in summary proceedings.

The court has not yet done so.

However, it has ordered Israel to allow significantly more humanitarian aid into the territory and to do everything possible to prevent genocide. 

(dpa/NAN)