South Africa, which filed the lawsuit at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in December, asked judges on Thursday (January 11) to impose emergency measures ordering Israel to immediately halt the offensive.
It said Israel's aerial and ground offensive - which has laid waste to much of the narrow coastal enclave and killed more than 23,000 people according to Gaza health authorities - aimed to bring about "the destruction of the population" of Gaza.
Deputy Attorney General of Israel Gilad Noam told the court considering South Africa's request would turn the Genocide Convention into a weapon in the hands of "terrorist groups."
