Nicaragua has asked to formally join South Africa's genocide case against Israel in the Internaitonal Court of Justice (ICJ), the UN's top court said today, with Managua stating it had "interests of a legal nature" in the lawsuit.

South Africa, long a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause, has accused Israel of breaching the 1948 UN Genocide Convention over its ongoing military aggression in Gaza. The aggression has so far resulted in over 27,000 Palestinians killed, the vast majority of whom are innocent civilians.
Managua filed its own application on January 23, which the Hague-based ICJ confirmed today.
"In its application for permission to intervene, Nicaragua states that it 'has interests of a legal nature that stem from the rights and obligations imposed by the Genocide Convention on all State Parties," the ICJ said.
Managua said its decision flowed from "the universal character both of the condemnation of genocide and of the cooperation required 'in order to liberate mankind from such an odious scourge'," the court said in a press release.
Two weeks ago, the ICJ judges handed down a set of emergency measures, saying Israel must prevent genocidal acts in its ongoing war on Gaza, but stopped short of calling for an end to the hostilities.