Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has reiterated that ‘Israel has no intention of permanently occupying Gaza.” He added: ”Our goal is to rid Gaza of Hamas terrorists and free our hostages. Once this is achieved Gaza can be demilitarized and deradicalized.”Analysts see a shift in tone in Netanyahu’s comments with the latest shift in stand coinciding with the Gaza genocide hearing at The Hague. Analysts say that the softening in Israeli rhetoric may be in hopes of helping their case at the ICJ.Israel has killed more than 23,000 Palestinians in Gaza since launching its campaign to eradicate the Hamas militant group that runs the enclave. Two days of public hearings in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel will start at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Jan. 11. The case, filed by South Africa, sets a precedent as the first at the ICJ relating to the siege on the Gaza Strip. The Israelis have denied any wrongdoing and have constantly said that they are operating within the realms of international law.