Cyril Ramaphosa Urges ICJ to Rule That Genocide Is Being Committed in Gaza During UN Address

• South African President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York City
• Ramaphosa touched on the situation in Gaza, reiterating that Israel was committing genocide
• The South African leader also called on UN members to protect the rights of the Palestinian people

Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.

NEW YORK – Cyril Ramaphosa has called on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to rule that genocide is indeed being committed in Gaza and that it should stop.

The President of the Republic of South Africa made the statement during his address at the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA80) on 23 September 2025. South Africa has been very vocal about Israel’s actions in Gaza and even opened a case at the ICJ.

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What did Ramaphosa say?

During his address, Ramaphosa said it was of great concern that there were countries that continued to violate international law and also defied the UN’s resolutions and rulings, as well as those of the ICJ.

He stated that members of the UN continued to violate wilfully, without consequence, the charter, which all nations agreed to uphold.

“Therefore, as nations that have pledged to uphold the UN charter, we have the ultimate responsibility to ensure and protect the rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination,” Ramaphosa said.

Ramaphosa then stated that there was a growing global consensus that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza. He noted that the UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry also found that Israel was responsible for genocide in Gaza.

“As Palestinians continue to face genocide and famine, we have a duty to act. South Africa has acted in the interest of saving lives by insisting that the ICJ make a ruling that genocide is indeed being committed in Gaza and that it should stop.

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“And we stand here to say it must stop.”

Source: Briefly News