ICJ Opens Hearings on Germany's Bid to Dismiss Nicaragua's Gaza Genocide-Complicity Case

The International Court of Justice opened four days of public hearings (September 7-10, 2026) on preliminary objections raised by Germany in the case 'Alleged Breaches of Certain International Obligations in respect of the Occupied Palestinian Territory' (Nicaragua v. Germany), filed by Nicaragua in March 2024. Nicaragua argues Germany violated the 1948 Genocide Convention and the Geneva Conventions by continuing to supply Israel with military equipment and by defunding UNRWA despite an asserted recognized risk of genocide in Gaza since October 2023. Germany contends the ICJ lacks jurisdiction and that Nicaragua failed to satisfy required procedural preconditions, and says 98% of its post-October 7, 2023 military exports to Israel were non-lethal (helmets, binoculars, etc.). Judges are expected to rule on jurisdiction within roughly six months; if the case proceeds to merits, it would run in parallel with South Africa's genocide case against Israel (ICJ Case 192), whose own discovery schedule extends to 2029.