Live: Top UN court opens hearings on allegation Israel is committing genocide in Gaza

Wounded Palestinians run into Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, moments after an Israeli strike hit a building next to it on Wednesday (Hatem Moussa/AP)

The United Nations’ top court is opening hearings into South Africa’s allegation that Israel’s war with Hamas amounts to genocide against Palestinians – a claim Israel strongly denies.

South Africa is initially asking the International Court of Justice to order an immediate suspension of Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip as part of a case that is likely to take years to resolve.