Hearings are due to begin today at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, where Israel is accused of genocide against the Palestinians.

Gaza health authorities have said Israel has killed over 23,000 people and starved the region of aid and supplies.

This figure means 1% of the territory's population have perished since the conflict began.

Israel has described the action brought by South Africa as 'atrocious and preposterous' claiming their war against Hamas militants is "self-defence".

The Court will hear oral arguments on Thursday and Friday from South Africa and Israel, respectively.

They will be held under US Judge Joan E Donoghue, who is president of the court.

Judge Joan E Donoghue will lead the oral hearings at the ICJ. Image: US Embassy in the Netherlands

The ICJ is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations.

Irish lawyer Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh is advising South Africa's legal team in its case against Israel.

Ms Ní Ghrálaigh, a London-based lawyer, is said to be one of two external advocates supporting the legal team.

She previously worked as a legal observer on the Bloody Sunday Inquiry in Northern Ireland. She then worked for a firm representing many of the families of Bloody Sunday victims.

'Genocidal'

A call by opposition parties for Ireland to join South Africa in its case against Israel has been dismissed by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.

On Tuesday, Mr Varadkar said he did not want to label Israel's actions ‘genocidal’.

"I would be a little bit uncomfortable about accusing Israel, a Jewish State, of genocide given the fact that six million Jews, over half the population of Jews in Europe, were killed," he said.

"That certainly was a genocide [and] I would just think we have to be a little bit careful about using words like that unless we’re absolutely convinced they’re the appropriate ones."

Mr Varadkar has previously said he has "huge sympathy” for the plight of the Palestinian people and said the EU's "passive" relationship with Israel was not "sustainable" in the long-term.

Gaza

In Gaza medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said the five-year-old daughter of an MSF staff member injured in an attack on Monday has died.

It said a shell broke through the wall of an MSF shelter housing over 100 staff and their families in Khan Younis in the south of the Gaza Strip.

MSF said it condemned the strike "in the strongest possible terms" in which three other people were injured.

MSF Project Coordinator in Gaza Thomas Lauvin said the incident again shows that nowhere in Gaza is safe.

"We are outraged and deeply saddened by the death of yet another family member of our MSF staff," he said.

"This strike on civilians is unacceptable and, once again, goes to show that it doesn’t matter where you are in Gaza, nowhere is safe.

"The shell did not detonate on impact, otherwise many more of our staff and their families would have most likely been killed," he added.

Widespread damage to buildings in Gaza City after Israeli bombardment, 10-10-23. Image: Geopix / Alamy

Prior to the incident, MSF said it notified Israeli forces that the shelter near Gaza European Hospital was housing MSF staff and their families.

It said no evacuation orders were issued before the strike.

"While MSF is not able to confirm the origin of the shell, it appears to be similar to those used by Israeli tanks. MSF has contacted Israeli authorities and is seeking further explanation," the charity added.

'Where is the food?'

The United Nations, humanitarian organisations and NGOs have all said they have faced widespread issues entering Gaza and then moving within the enclave because of Israeli restrictions.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said all forms of humanitarian assistance and particularly food are desperately needed across Gaza, especially in northern areas.

Speaking from Rafah on Tuesday, the WHO's Emergency Medical Teams Coordinator Sean Casey said people are in desperate need of food.

"The food situation in the north is absolutely horrific, there's almost no food available," he said.

"Everybody we talk to begs for food and comes up and asks, 'Where's the food?'

"We bring in medical supplies, people help us get our medical supplies through. But they are constantly telling us that we need to come back with food," he added.

The WHO has insisted that the UN and its partners remain "completely ready" to deliver assistance to Gazans.

Main image: The Peace Palace garden, seat of the International Court of Justice, is seen in The Hague on 19-11-18. Image: Ankor Light / Alamy