An Israeli cabinet minister has announced plans to initiate efforts to bring a case against Iran to the International Court of Justice, focusing on charges of genocide.

Gideon Sa'ar highlighted that Iranian leaders have openly advocated for the destruction of Israel and provided significant support to Hamas and other Gaza-based terrorist groups responsible for the October 7 attacks.

Experts in international law suggest that the massacres and other crimes committed by Hamas on October 7 could potentially be categorized as a genocidal act. This is because they appear to have been aimed at the destruction, “in whole or in part”, of a national group, specifically Israelis.

“There are public statements by senior Iranian officials in favor of destroying Israel,” Sa’ar told the Kan public broadcaster.

“Iran finances, arms, and trains all the jihadi terrorist organizations including Hamas and Islamic Jihad which carried out October 7, so in my opinion there is an abundance of evidence which can be submitted to the court in the Hague,” added Sa’ar, a former justice minister.

“Israel is a small and persecuted nation that is fighting for its life and at the same time is fighting on the international stage for its right to self defense. It is a nation that is truly at risk of genocide given that there are enemies around it that declaredly want to destroy it,” he underlined.

The Iranian regime frequently issues threats against Israel. Despite the threats, Tehran has not directly attacked Israel but continues to support its proxies in the vicinity of Israel, especially after Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel on October 7 which killed more than 1,100 Israelis, mostly civilians.