Israel's Foreign Ministry said on Sunday that South Africa's request for an 18-month extension to present arguments to the International Court of Justice in support of genocide allegations it committed in Gaza shows that the legal case against the Jewish state is “collapsing”.

“Written submissions will not expire before 2029. All claims of 'urgency' have now turned into a quiet request for South Africa to buy more time,” the ministry tweeted.

The ministry described the 18-month extension period as “extraordinary”, saying, “This case was never about the facts. This has always been a propaganda campaign by South Africa in the service of Hamas masquerading as a legal process.”

South Africa has accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza Agreed An effective 36-month extension in the proceedings before the ICJ after Israel requested additional time to respond to its initial defense response.

The court, based in The Hague, is the principal judicial branch of the United Nations.

in one Order Dated May 21 and published on Friday, the ICJ gave South Africa until November 22, 2027, to file its response. Israel will then have until May 22, 2029, to submit a response.

According to the court, South Africa told the judges last month that a second round of written arguments was necessary due to the “complexity of the case”, the volume of Israel's counter-memorial and Israel's objections to the court's jurisdiction and the admissibility of South Africa's application.

The court said Israel argued that another round of arguments was unnecessary, but also said that if South Africa was given 18 months to respond, Israel should be given the same amount of time for its rejoinder.

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