Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa stressed, on Friday, the need to hold Israel accountable before the International Court of Justice for its crimes against the Palestinians in Gaza.

This came at a press conference held at the Algerian presidency headquarters, following bilateral talks, at the start of a state visit by Ramaphosa to Algeria at the invitation of Tebboune.

The Algerian President praised "South Africa's efforts to hold the Israeli occupation accountable for its crimes against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, before the international judiciary."

He said: "I welcome the lawsuit filed by South Africa at the International Court of Justice against Israel," noting that his country "fully supports it."

Tebboune pointed out that "there is a convergence of views between Algeria and South Africa regarding the preference for negotiated political solutions to resolve crises away from foreign interventions."

He pointed out that "Algeria and South Africa agreed to intensify efforts within the United Nations and the African Union to enhance the role of the continent and work to achieve the demand to reform the UN Security Council system and correct injustice."

Tebboune recalled Africa's request for two permanent seats on the UN Security Council, as it is the only continent not represented by a permanent seat on the Council.

For his part, Ramaphosa said that he informed "the Algerian president of the lawsuit filed by South Africa before the International Court of Justice to hold the occupying Israeli state accountable for its crimes against the Palestinian people in Gaza."

He added that his country "recorded a lack of respect for international law and we filed a complaint against the Israeli occupation and the war crimes it is committing in Gaza and we received great support from many countries."

Ramaphosa added: "We demand respect for international law in Palestine and we stand in solidarity with all oppressed peoples."

He thanked the countries that supported his country's lawsuit against Israel, saying: "South Africa expresses its appreciation for the support we have received from various countries around the world, especially from the government and people of Algeria regarding the initiative to hold the Israeli occupation accountable."

He renewed South Africa's call "for a cessation of hostilities, the release of all hostages and the provision of urgent humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza who are in dire need of it."

Ramaphosa pointed out that his country "has suffered from the scourge of oppression, occupation and the deprivation of rights, so we stand in solidarity with oppressed peoples everywhere, including in Palestine."

He stressed that "South Africa and Algeria agree that the only permanent solution to this ongoing conflict in Palestine is to achieve the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination."

On December 29, 2023, South Africa filed a lawsuit against Israel at the International Court of Justice for violating the 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

With American support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, leaving more than 150,000 Palestinians dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 11,000 missing, amid massive destruction and famine that killed dozens of children and the elderly, in one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world.

Israel also defies the UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate end to the war, and the International Court of Justice's orders to take measures to prevent genocide and improve the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Ramaphosa began an open-ended state visit to Algeria on Thursday night, during which he is scheduled to deliver a speech before the country's parliament.