Spain will ask to join South Africa’s case in the International Court of Justice against Israel, accusing the Middle Eastern country of genocide in Gaza.

“We are doing it [requesting to intervene] because of our commitment to international law, in our desire to support the court in its work and strengthen the United Nations, supporting the role of the court as the maximum legal entity in the system,” Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said at a press conference in Madrid on Thursday.

“We want to support the court in the implementation of the precautionary measures, in particular, the cessation of military operations in Rafah in order to restore peace, the cessation of obstacles to the entry of humanitarian aid, and the cessation of the destruction of civilian infrastructure,” he added.

Spain joins a growing group of countries ready to intervene, including Ireland and Norway, which recognized a Palestinian state last week. Mexico, Colombia, Nicaragua, Libya, and the Palestinians are also waiting for the ICJ to give them the green light to join the case. 

“There should be no doubt that Spain will remain on the right side of history,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said after Albares made the announcement.

The ICJ was established in 1945 and is the highest United Nations legal body. 

South Africa filed its case with the ICJ in late 2023. It alleged that Israel was breaching the genocide convention in its military assault that has laid waste to large swaths of Gaza.

The court ordered Israel to halt its military offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah immediately but stopped short of ordering a ceasefire. 

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Israel has repeatedly dismissed the accusations against it, has not complied with the ICJ, and shows no sign of doing so. 

It argued that its military activities in Gaza are not an example of genocide but of self-defense and are targeted at Hamas militants who attacked Israel on Oct. 7.