During a hearing on Friday at The Hague, Israel reportedly announced it has discovered "nearly 700 tunnel shafts" underneath the city of Rafah in southern Gaza and about 50 of them "cross into Egypt."

Israeli Justice Ministry official Gilad Noam appeared at the International Court of Justice this week for hearings on a request from South Africa to issue new cease-fire orders to stop the military operation in Rafah.

During a hearing on Friday, Noam said the accusations made by South Africa, which include the claim that Israel has violated the Genocide Convention, are "completely divorced from facts and circumstances."

He added that the case "makes a mockery of the heinous charge of genocide. Israel is engaged in a war it did not want and did not start. It is under attack and is fighting to defend itself and its citizens."

Noam continued, "Hamas has vowed to continue the atrocities of Oct. 7 many times over. Rafah in particular is a focal point for ongoing terrorist activity.

"Nearly 700 tunnel shafts have been identified in Rafah, from which approximately 50 tunnels cross into Egypt. These tunnels are used by Hamas to supply itself with weapons and ammunition and could potentially be used to smuggle out of Gaza hostages, or Hamas senior operators."

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