The United Nations’ highest court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Issued a dramatic ruling ordering Israel to “immediately cease its military offensive in Rafah. Last week, she supported a South African motion calling for a series of measures. Against Israel and accusing it of aggravating genocide allegations.
Chief Justice Nawaf Salam said the situation in Gaza had worsened. Since the court last ordered Israel to take remedial measures. Israel vehemently denies this claim and has indicated that it intends to ignore the order to cease operations. Nawaf Salam read out the court’s verdict on Friday. “Israel must immediately stop military attacks and other actions in Rafah governorate. That could lead to the ‘physical destruction’ of Palestinians.” He hinted at what constitutes genocide under international law.
Israel Must Provide Unrestricted Access to Gaza to All
Israel must also allow unrestricted access to Gaza to all United Nations agencies investigating allegations of genocide, he added. The judgment also reaffirmed Israel’s commitment to enable the “unhindered, large-scale provision” of essential services and humanitarian assistance to Gaza. “The humanitarian situation in Gaza can now be described as catastrophic,” the judgment states. Israel rejects the court’s ruling and says its military offensive in Gaza is in accordance with international law.
“Israel has not and will not conduct military operations in the Rafah area that create living conditions that could lead to the complete or partial extermination of Palestinian civilians,” Tsashi Hanegbi, National Security The Assistant Secretary for Security, said in a joint statement with the Israeli government. Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
War Minister Benny Gantz said Israel would continue to attack “whenever and wherever necessary, including in Rafah. “Meanwhile, Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations Riyad Mansour welcomed the ruling and called on Israel to abide by it. “We assume that the decisions of the International Court of Justice will be implemented without any concerns,” he said. Following news of the ICJ judgment, the European Union’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said that the EU’s commitment to the rule of law and support for Israel “will be very difficult to reconcile ” he said. Aid groups and the United Nations say not enough aid is reaching people in the Gaza Strip who are at risk of starvation.
Stopping Food Distribution in Rafah
On Tuesday, the United Nations suspended food distribution in Rafah, citing the dangerous situation there. Israel said it had made “huge efforts” to ensure that humanitarian aid “flows to Gaza. “Judge Salam also found that the court found it “deeply disturbing” that Israeli hostages were still being held by Hamas and other armed groups in the Gaza Strip and called for their “immediate and unconditional release” said. Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid criticized the verdict, calling it a “disastrous moral failure” for the ICJ not to link the Rafah bombing to the release of the hostages.
Director-General Zane Dangor called the ruling “groundbreaking,” noting that it was the first time a court had explicitly ordered Israel to cease operations in parts of the Gaza Strip. Hamas said it welcomed the decision in Rafah to “call on the brutal Zionist entity [Israel] to cease its aggression. “Minutes after the verdict was announced, Israeli warplanes conducted a series of airstrikes on the Shaboula camp in central Rafah. A local activist at the nearby Kuwait Hospital told the BBC that the hospital’s rescue team was unable to reach the scene of the attack due to the intensity of the attack.
The Impact of Israel’s Long-Drafted Offensive in Rafah
Israel launched its long-awaited offensive in Rafah about three weeks ago, promising to destroy the remaining Hamas battalion there. Israeli hostages are also believed to be being held in the city. According to the United Nations, more than 800,000 Palestinians have been evacuated from Rafah since the offensive began. About 1.5 million people had been evacuated from fighting elsewhere in the Gaza Strip.
The hearing is part of a lawsuit filed by South Africa with the International Court of Justice in December, accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. This case is ongoing. On October 7, Israel launched an offensive in Gaza after armed groups from Hamas, the group that ruled the area, attacked Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking 252 hostages back to Gaza. According to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, at least 35,800 Palestinians have died in the war since then.
