Israel on Friday called on the United Nations' top court to dismiss South Africa's request to halt its offensive in the Gaza Strip amid "grossly distorted" accusations of genocide.

During opening statements to a panel of judges at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Israeli legal adviser Tal Becker said the country is fighting a "war it did not start and did not want."

"In these circumstances, there can hardly be a charge more false and more malevolent than the allegation against Israel of genocide," Becker added.

He noted that "Israel is in a war of defense against Hamas, not against the Palestinian people," and that the suffering of civilians during wartime does not amount to genocide.

"The key component of genocide, the intent to destroy a people in whole or in part, is totally lacking," he said.

-ABC News' Edward Szekeres and Morgan Winsor

As Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrapped up his trip to the Middle East, he said he encountered a new appetite among Middle Eastern leaders to discuss contributing to what he often refers to as "the day after" in Gaza.

"I have to say what was different about this trip is that on our previous trips here, I think there was a reluctance to talk about some of the day after issues and long-term stability and security on a regional basis, but now we’re finding that our partners are very focused on that and wanting to engage on those questions," Blinken said.

On his major goal of preventing the Israeli-Hamas war from spreading across the region, Blinken was optimistic.

"I don’t think the conflict is escalating. There are lots of danger points; we’re trying to deal with each of them," he said.

-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford

The families of hostages held by Hamas came together for a news conference Thursday demanding that the Israeli war cabinet prioritize their loved ones’ return and approve any deal that would lead to their release.

“I demand the cabinet take any deal on the table,” said Shay Wenkert, whose son, Omer Wenkert, was kidnapped from the music festival on Oct. 7.

"My son has colitis," Wenkert said. "This is hell. I'm begging you -- you had opportunities for other deals and didn’t take them. Take action. You have to take the deal. Bring them home now."

"No one is doing us any favors in Israel. They must do everything to release the hostages, at any price,” said Gilad and Nitza Corngold, parents of Tal Shoham, who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Be'eri. “I suggest anyone who says ‘It's not worth it’ to bring a family member of theirs and make a personal exchange with me -- to give me their son and take mine out. Their time is running out."

Israel is defending itself in the United Nations' top court starting Thursday against allegations that its ongoing military campaign in the neighboring Gaza Strip amounts to genocide of the Palestinian people -- a claim that Israel vehemently denies.

South Africa, which brought forward the allegations, is initially asking the Netherlands-based International Court of Justice to order an immediate suspension of the Israeli military offensive against Gaza's militant rulers, Hamas, as part of a landmark case that is likely to take years to resolve.

"Genocides are never declared in advance, but this court has the benefit of the past 13 weeks of evidence that shows incontrovertibly a pattern of conduct and related intention that justifies as a plausible claim of genocidal acts," South African attorney Adila Hassim told the panel of judges inside a packed courtroom in The Hague during Thursday's opening statements. "Nothing will stop the suffering except an order from this court."

South Africa insists Israel is committing genocide by design and that the country's latest war in Gaza is part of its decadeslong oppression of Palestinians. South Africa's ruling political party, the African National Congress, has a long history of solidarity with the Palestinian cause and sees parallels with its own struggle against the apartheid regime of white minority rule that ended in 1994.

"The violence and the destruction in Palestine and Israel did not begin on Oct. 7, 2023," South African Justice Minister Ronald Lamola said. "The Palestinians have experienced systematic oppression and violence for the last 76 years."

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has called South Africa's allegations “atrocious and preposterous,” while Secretary of State Antony Blinken has dismissed the case as "meritless."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in response Thursday called South Africa's allegations "upside-down."

"Israel is fighting against murderous terrorists who have committed terrible crimes against humanity: they slaughtered, they raped, they burned, they dismembered, they killed children, women, the elderly, young men, young women. A terrorist organization that committed the most terrible crime against the Jewish people since the Holocaust, and now there are those who come to defend it in the name of the Holocaust," Netanyahu said. "We will continue to fight the terrorists, we will continue to repel the lies, we will continue to maintain our right to defend ourselves and secure our future."

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby called South Africa’s case "unfounded" and reiterated that "Israel has a right and responsibility to defend itself."

"We're going to continue to supply them with the tools and capabilities they need to do that," Kirby said Thursday.

Lawyers for Israel will address the court on Friday.

-ABC News' Joe Simonetti, Edward Szekeres and Morgan Winsor