The White House considered on Wednesday that the lawsuit filed by South Africa before the International Court of Justice, accusing Tel Aviv of committing genocide against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, is "baseless" and "counterproductive."

The spokesman for the US National Security Council, John Kirby, said, "This lawsuit is baseless, counterproductive, and not based on any facts," according to the French news agency "AFP."

Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the US State Department, Matthew Miller, responded to a question on this matter during his daily press conference: "We do not believe that this is a productive action at this time."

Miller rejected the accusations made by South Africa against Israel, which the United States considers its first ally in the world and its largest military supporter.

The US State Department spokesman said, "The United States has so far not observed any acts amounting to genocide in the war Israel is waging on the Gaza Strip."

The International Court of Justice, the highest court in the United Nations, is scheduled to hear next week the briefs submitted by both South Africa and Israel, after Pretoria filed a lawsuit against the latter accusing it of committing "genocide" in the Gaza Strip.

South Africa wants the International Court of Justice to urgently order Israel to freeze its military operations in Gaza, asserting that the occupying state "has engaged, is engaging, and may continue to engage in acts of genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza."

Israel, for its part, denied these accusations.

The International Court of Justice said on Wednesday that it "will hold public hearings at the Peace Palace in The Hague on January 11 and 12 in the framework of the lawsuit filed by South Africa against Israel."

The International Court of Justice was established after World War II; it is the highest judicial body of the United Nations and adjudicates disputes between states.

Although the court’s decisions are legally binding, it does not have significant authority to enforce them.