January 11, 2024 Israel-Hamas war

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday the Israel-Hamas war is not ramping up into a broader regional conflict, but he did admit that there were "danger points."

"I don't think the conflict is escalating," Blinken said. "There are lots of danger points. We're trying to deal with each of them."

Here's what he detailed:

He also said that efforts were underway to end the fighting in Gaza, but that Israel had to ensure that October 7, 2023, doesn't happen again. "We also want to see this conflict come to an end, and until it does, to make sure that humanitarian assistance goes up for people who need it," he added.  

Iran’s permanent mission to the United Nations said in a statement to CNN that the seizure of a crude tanker by the Iranian army on Thursday does not constitute hijacking, but is rather a “lawful undertaking sanctioned by a court order.”

A vessel was boarded Thursday by at least four armed people in the Gulf of Oman and has diverted its course toward Iranian territorial waters, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations.

The ship’s company security officer reported hearing unknown voices over the phone, after which communications with the vessel were lost, UKMTO said. The reported seizure happened early Thursday morning (around 10:30 p.m. ET Wednesday) in waters between Iran and Oman.

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-associated media outlet Tasnim News Agency said that Iran had seized the tanker and is transferring it to an Iranian port, in retaliation for the United States confiscating the same vessel and its oil last year.

Tasnim cited a statement from the Iranian Navy saying the seizure came after an order from an Iranian court.

A maritime monitoring website, Tanker Trackers, said the vessel seized was a Marshall Islands-flagged crude oil tanker named St Nikolas, formerly known as the Suez Rajan.

The Suez Rajan, which was at the center of a dispute between the United States and Iran, was seized by the US government last year after a court found that it was used to “covertly sell and transport Iranian oil to a customer abroad,” the US Department of Justice said in a press release. 

The seizing of the vessel was described by the Iranian mission to the UN as "a lawful undertaking sanctioned by a court order". They said it "corresponds to the theft of Iran's very own oil. Adhering to the established legal procedures is the most prudent approach for the resolution of this matter."

Some context: There are international concerns that the conflict in Gaza could spill into the wider Middle East region.

Adding to this concern is the actions of Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who are stepping up their strikes on ships in the Red Sea, which they say is revenge against Israel for its military campaign on Hamas in Gaza.

On Tuesday, the US Navy shot down 21 Houthi missiles and drones launched from Yemen, according to a statement from US Central Command, in one of the largest Houthi attacks to take place in the Red Sea in recent months.

The attacks have forced some of the world’s biggest shipping and oil companies to suspend transit through one of the world’s most important maritime trade routes, which could potentially cause a shock to the global economy.

CNN’s Mostafa Salem in Abu Dhabi contributed to this reporting.

South Africa’s justice minister said the case it has taken to the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza affords the court the opportunity to “act in real time” to prevent what he described as genocide “continuing in Gaza.”

Addressing journalists outside the steps of the Peace Palace in The Hague after South Africa concluded its oral arguments at the hearing on Thursday, Ronald Lamola said he hoped the case would be “impactful” to the people of Gaza. 

“This case presents the court with an opportunity to act in real time to prevent genocide from continuing in Gaza by issuing an urgent injunction,” Lamola said. 

Lamola expressed his hope that the case will deter Israeli soldiers in Gaza from continuing their actions, saying they may realize that they may be called individually before the court one day. 

The justice minister told journalists that South Africa had presented a “compelling argument” to the court based on facts and “jurisprudence.” 

He said his government had faith that the judges of court would be able to “exercise professionally” in reaching a decision. 

He also strongly refuted a claim from Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson Lior Haiat that South Africa is the “legal arm” of Hamas, stressing that the South African delegation only has a mandate from the South African government.

Bassem Naim, a member of the Hamas political bureau, welcomed the first session of the International Court of Justice case accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, convened at South Africa's request, in a statement on Thursday.

“We look forward to the court issuing a decision that does justice to victims, by calling 2 stop the aggression & holding war criminals accountable,” Naim said in a written statement published on Hamas’ website on Thursday. 

More context: Throughout today's ICJ hearing, South Africa stressed that it condemned the attacks on civilians and taking of hostages by Hamas on October 7.

Addressing the various charges of hypocrisy that have been laid against South Africa, including why it has not also brought a charge of genocide against Hamas, Vaughan Lowe, one of South Africa's lawyers, said this is a matter for the International Criminal Court – and not the ICJ.

“Hamas is not a state and cannot be a party to the genocide convention, and cannot be a party to these proceedings,” Lowe said.

The ICJ hears cases brought by states accusing others of violating their United Nations treaty obligations, whereas the ICC tries individuals for crimes including war crimes and crimes against humanity.

CNN's Christian Edwards contributed reporting to this post.

The Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates has expressed its support for South Africa's International Court of Justice case accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, calling a “historic event” in the “joint struggle against perceived injustice and genocide.” 

In a written statement published on Thursday, the ministry emphasized that a central focus of the Palestinian legal and diplomatic strategy is to hold Israel accountable through legal avenues and international justice institutions.

That sentiment was echoed by the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which also expressed its support for South Africa's stance and its efforts to bring the case to the ICJ, according to a statement published on the state news agency NNA on Thursday.

Both Lebanon and the Palestinian Authority's ministries accused Israel of committing crimes that amount to genocide.

“The ministry expresses its aspiration for a just and quick ruling that protect the human rights laws, especially international humanitarian law,” the Lebanese foreign ministry statement said. 

The Palestinian Authority ministry concluded its statement by expressing its “confidence” in the legal advocacy presented by South Africa against Israel at the court on Thursday. 

The Israeli Foreign Ministry criticized South Africa in response to the International Court of Justice case that South Africa brought forth accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

"Today we were witness to one of the greatest shows of hypocrisy in history, compounded by a series of false and baseless claims," Lior Haiat, a spokesperson for the ministry, said on X, formerly Twitter.

Haiat accused South Africa of "functioning as the legal arm of the Hamas" and ignoring the massacre carried out by the militant group in Israel on October 7.

"South Africa seeks to allow Hamas to return to commit the war crimes," Haiat claimed.

What South Africa argued: South Africa has "unequivocally condemned" Hamas attacks, Minister of Justice Ronald Lamola said in court. But, he said, the oppression of Palestinian people did not just begin following the Hamas attacks, arguing it has been ongoing for years. While discussing Israel's air strikes in Gaza since October 7, one of South Africa's representatives, Adila Hassim, said Palestinians in Gaza have “been killed if they have failed to evacuate, in the places to which they have fled, and even while they have attempted to flee along Israeli-declared safe routes.”

“Israel’s special genocidal intent is rooted in the belief that in fact the enemy is not just the military wing of Hamas, or indeed Hamas generally, but is embedded in the fabric of Palestinian life in Gaza,” said Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, another lawyer representing South Africa.

While South Africa outlined its genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, here are some other developments happening in Gaza and the wider region as Israel continues its war against Hamas.

Top US diplomat meets Egyptian president: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken went from Tel Aviv to Cairo to meet President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. He is going to head back to the United States after concluding his multi-nation trip in the Middle East to address the Israel-Hamas war and concerns about a wider regional conflict.

Latest on Houthi attacks: The UN Security Council on Wednesday approved a resolution calling on Yemen’s Houthi rebels to cease their "brazen" attacks in the Red Sea as the United States warned the Iran-backed militants would face "consequences" for their actions. The attacks have forced some of the world’s biggest shipping and oil companies to suspend transit through one of the world’s most important maritime trade routes, which could potentially cause a shock to the global economy. The Houthis are believed to have been armed and trained by Iran, and there are fears that their attacks could escalate Israel’s war against Hamas into a wider regional conflict. Read more about what we know about them.

South Africa has now finished presenting its case. Israel, which has denied the allegations, will respond on Friday.

Mr Vusi Madonsela, South Africa’s ambassador to the Hague ended day one of the hearing by detailing the country’s requests for provisional measures.

He requested the measures be considered "as a matter of extreme urgency".

Among the provisional measures requested include:

South Africa posed a challenge to the International Court of Justice's panel of judges, saying it is “hard to think of a case in recent history that has been so important for the future of international law.”

Towards the end of South Africa’s three-hour oral argument, Vaughan Lowe, one of the lawyers representing it, said now “is not a moment for the court to sit back and be silent,” and that its decision would have a bearing on the future of the court itself.

Lowe asked the court to grant provisional measures ordering Israel to suspend its military campaign in Gaza, to prevent further abuses of the rights of Palestinians while the court considers the full merits of the case.

“Israel says that Palestine and Palestinians are not its target, that its aim is to destroy Hamas. But months of continuous bombing, flattening entire residential blocks, and cutting off food and water and electricity and communications to an entire population, cannot credibly be argued to be a manhunt for members of Hamas,” Lowe said.

Addressing the various charges of hypocrisy that have been laid against South Africa, including why it has not also brought a charge of genocide against Hamas, Lowe explained this is a matter for the International Criminal Court – and not the ICJ.

“Hamas is not a state and cannot be a party to the genocide convention, and cannot be a party to these proceedings,” Lowe said. Whereas the ICJ hears cases brought by states accusing others of violating their UN treaty obligations, the ICC tries individuals for crimes including war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Lowe concluded by summarizing South Africa’s argument.

He stressed “the point is not simply that Israel is acting disproportionately – the point is the the prohibition on genocide is an absolute.”