Middle East conflict live updates: Israel expected to push back against South Africa’s request at ICJ

At the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Israel is set to respond Friday to South Africa’s accusations that the Israeli assault on Rafah and closure of key crossings into Gaza are aimed at destroying “the essential foundations of Palestinian life.” South Africa asked the World Court to order Israel to cease all military operations in the enclave, while Israel’s Foreign Ministry called South Africa’s claims “biased and false.”

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that additional troops will join Israel’s operation in Rafah and that it would “intensify.” Nearly 600,000 people have fled Rafah in southern Gaza, according to the United Nations, including about 150,000 in the past few days.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan and a group of top Biden administration officials will travel to Israel this weekend to continue urging the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to launch a major military operation in Gaza, to adopt a more targeted strategy against Hamas, and to try to advance stalled cease-fire and hostage negotiations, according to people familiar with their plans who spoke on the condition of anonymity about the still-unannounced trip.

FIFA, soccer’s international governing body, will seek independent legal analysis to assess a Palestinian request to suspend Israel from international competition due to its war in Gaza. FIFA President Gianni Infantino said Friday that the body will hold an extraordinary meeting in July to review and decide on the legal assessment.

The death toll in Gaza has risen to 35,272, and 79,205 people have been injured in the enclave since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. It says the majority of the dead are women and children.

Israel estimates that 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack, including more than 300 soldiers, and says 279 soldiers have been killed since the launch of its military operation in Gaza.