---
title: "History will judge Israel ‘very harshly’ for the atrocities committed in Gaza - Ramaphosa"
description: "President Cyril Ramaphosa says he is concerned that Israel has ‘completely ignored’ the rulings of the International Court of Justice, but the atrocities ‘will and must’ come to an end."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "MIDDLE EAST CRISIS"
author: "Victoria O’Regan"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/victoria-oregan-3-2-2/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-09-26-history-will-judge-israel-very-harshly-for-the-atrocities-committed-in-gaza-ramaphosa/"
published: "2025-09-26T00:10:38"
updated: "2025-09-26T00:10:41"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 1290
---

# History will judge Israel ‘very harshly’ for the atrocities committed in Gaza - Ramaphosa

> President Cyril Ramaphosa says he is concerned that Israel has ‘completely ignored’ the rulings of the International Court of Justice, but the atrocities ‘will and must’ come to an end.

By Victoria O’Regan · Published 26 September 2025, 02:10 SAST · Updated 26 September 2025, 02:10 SAST

## Key points
- In a scathing rebuke from the UN stage, President Ramaphosa declared that history will not be kind to Israel for its blatant disregard of international law, likening the country’s actions to a masterclass in how to ignore the rule of law.
- President Ramaphosa condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza, asserting that history would judge the nation harshly for its atrocities and disregard for International Court of Justice rulings.
- He criticised the UN Security Council’s ineffectiveness and the hypocrisy of nations that advocate for the rule of law, while ignoring it.
- A recent UN inquiry concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, echoing South African claims at the ICJ on violations of the 1948 Genocide Convention.
- Despite binding orders from the ICJ, Israel has failed to adhere to measures aimed at preventing genocide and increasing humanitarian aid in Gaza.

## Content

President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Thursday, 25 September, that history would judge Israel “very harshly” for the atrocities it has committed in the Gaza Strip, saying it was a concern that Israel had ignored the rulings of the World Court.

![An Israeli tank blocks the street in Tal Al Hawa neighborhood during a military operation in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, on 24 September 2025. More than 65,400 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip since October 2023, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, and about 1,200 Israelis have been killed since the launch of an Israeli military campaign in response to a cross-border attack by Hamas on 7 October 2023. (Photo: EPA / Mohammed Saber)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/D5F6yu66pqJ-UXDc8I7YFkNiJ54=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/13371941.jpg)

*An Israeli tank blocks the street in the Tal al-Hawa neighbourhood during a military operation in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, 24 September 2025. (Photo: EPA / Mohammed Saber)*

“It is a matter of concern to us that the state of Israel, aided and abetted by other governments, has just completely ignored the rulings of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and the very countries that talk about adherence to the rule of law are the ones who are actually trashing the notion of the rule of law; who are disregarding the rule of law,” Ramaphosa told reporters at a press conference on the sidelines of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York.

“If countries and members of the UN do that, what else is left? Because we’re just really shredding and tearing to pieces the values and the principles that we should all be standing for.”

![A fire breaks out after an Israeli airstrike on the outskirts of Gaza City as seen from an undisclosed location on the Israeli side of the border with Gaza, 24 September 2025.  (Photo: EPA / Atef Safadi)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/YPPr_qY8DR9N9aJVaQCcch5jWr0=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/13372929.jpg)

*A fire breaks out after an Israeli airstrike on the outskirts of Gaza City as seen from an undisclosed location on the Israeli side of the border with Gaza, 24 September 2025. (Photo: EPA / Atef Safadi)*

Ramaphosa’s remarks come after his speech to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, where he told world leaders that the relevance of the UN and multilateral processes in maintaining peace and security were “being wilfully undermined”. He said the UN Security Council, in particular, had proven “ineffective in its current form” and had failed to “ensure accountability and uphold international law”.

**Read more:**[‘Trade now being used as a weapon,’ Ramaphosa tells UN in jab at Trump tariffs](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-09-23-trade-now-being-used-as-a-weapon-ramaphosa-tells-un-in-jab-at-trump-tariffs/)

Last Thursday, the US once again vetoed a draft UN Security Council resolution that would have demanded an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the release of hostages, and that Israel lift restrictions on aid to Palestinians, saying it did not go far enough in condemning Hamas.

The 14 other UN Security Council members voted in favour of the resolution. It was the sixth time the US had cast a veto in the Security Council over Israel’s 23-month military campaign in Gaza, [according to a Reuters report](https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-vetoes-un-demand-ceasefire-aid-access-gaza-2025-09-18/).

Israel’s assault on Gaza, which has killed at least 65,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 160,000, and the deepening humanitarian crisis in the enclave have been among the pressing issues discussed by world leaders who gathered in New York this week. During Hamas’ October 2023 attack on Israel, at least 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 were taken hostage.

> It is a matter of concern to us that the state of Israel, aided and abetted by other governments, has just completely ignored the rulings of the International Court of Justice \[ICJ\], and the very countries that talk about adherence to the rule of law are the ones who are actually trashing the notion of the rule of law; who are disregarding the rule of law.

Last week, a [UN Independent Commission of Inquiry](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-09-16-israels-war-in-gaza-is-morally-politically-and-legally-intolerable-says-un-secretary-general/) found that Israel had committed, and continued to commit, genocide in Gaza, adding to a growing number of international bodies and rights groups that have come to the same conclusion.

“Consistent with the case that South Africa brought before the International Court of Justice, there is growing global consensus that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Just last week, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry found that Israel is responsible for the commission of genocide in Gaza. As Palestinians continue to face genocide and famine, we have a duty to act,” Ramaphosa said in his speech to the UN General Assembly.

![Smoke rises after an Israeli air strike during a military operation in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, 25 September 2025. (Photo: EPA / Mohammed Saber)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/AQZYJB6gbHiwPWfAuyP85xbNmQE=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/13374699.jpg)

*Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike during a military operation in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, 25 September 2025. (Photo: EPA / Mohammed Saber)*

South Africa filed an application at the ICJ in December 2023, asking the court to declare that Israel was in violation of its obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention.

**Read more:**[How South Africa seeks an order to stop the carnage in Gaza and prevent a genocide](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-01-09-how-south-africa-seeks-an-order-to-stop-the-carnage-in-gaza-and-prevent-a-genocide/)

In January 2024, the ICJ agreed with South Africa’s argument that there was a [plausible case of genocide](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-01-26-israel-genocide-case-gaza-ceasefire-icj/) to be heard, and ordered Israel to prevent genocide, to prevent and punish incitement to genocide, and to increase humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

The ICJ subsequently issued further interim orders on provisional measures on [28 March](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-03-29-icj-orders-israel-to-ensure-unhindered-provision-of-gaza-aid-flows-warns-famine-is-setting-in/) and [24 May](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-05-24-icj-orders-israel-to-immediately-halt-its-military-incursion-in-rafah/) last year, calling on Israel to end its restrictions on humanitarian aid and cease its hostilities in southern Gaza.

In the nearly two years since South Africa filed its case against Israel at the World Court, these binding interim orders have not been adhered to by Israel. In a speech to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday morning, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on Israel to comply with the rulings of the ICJ.

“The International Court of Justice has issued legally binding provisional measures in the case named: [Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip](https://www.icj-cij.org/case/192). Since then, a famine has been declared, and the killing has intensified. The measures stipulated by the ICJ must be implemented – fully and immediately.

“Nothing can justify the horrific Hamas terror attacks of October 7 and the taking of hostages, both of which I have repeatedly condemned. And nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people and the systematic destruction of Gaza,” said Guterres.

![An empty area during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, 25 September 2025. (Photo: EPA / Mohammed Saber)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/IH8z7Qz-ZhFZctw75xzeejLPKAg=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/13374706.jpg)

*A bombarded area during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, 25 September 2025. (Photo: EPA / Mohammed Saber)*

Ramaphosa told reporters on Thursday that South Africa would continue to push for a ceasefire, and that it was “hoping that the International Court of Justice and its rulings will declare such”.

“As much as they’re maybe ignored, in the end it is very much like what the apartheid government did. It was resolution, after resolution, after resolution that came to the United Nations, but in the end, the chickens did come home to roost. The apartheid system had to come to an end, and even the atrocities that are being committed in Gaza will and must come to an end,” said Ramaphosa.

“The coalition that is now building against what Israel is doing and in favour of finding a solution – particularly a [two-state solution](https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/world-summit-meet-two-state-solution-support-grows-palestinian-state-2025-09-22/) and calling for a ceasefire – will gain traction, and it will become a reality. And history will judge them very harshly – the legacy that they leave for their children and grandchildren is going to be a very heavy and a very negative legacy,” he said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly on Friday morning and meet with US President Donald Trump next week, [Reuters reported](https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-deepens-gaza-city-offensive-netanyahu-heads-us-2025-09-25/). The news agency reported that in his speech, Netanyahu was expected to denounce leaders who had recently recognised a Palestinian state.

According to the publication, the US special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, said on Wednesday he was confident that a breakthrough on Gaza would be secured after Trump presented a 21-point peace plan to the leaders of several Middle Eastern countries on Tuesday.

Israel has continuously denied accusations that it is committing genocide in Gaza. In response to the UN Commission’s report, Israel accused the commission of having a political agenda against it and diverging from its mandate, [Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/un-inquiry-finds-top-israeli-officials-incited-genocide-gaza-2025-09-16/) reported. **DM**

*Victoria O’Regan is a 2025 Dag Hammarskjöld Journalism Fellow whose reporting on the 80th UN General Assembly and its activities in New York has been sponsored by the Dag Hammarskjöld Fund for Journalists.*