THE HAGUE: Judges at the UN’s top court ordered Israel to end its offensive in Rafah, south of Gaza, on Friday.
The president of the body, Nawaf Salam, read the decision by the International Court, or the World Court, saying that the March interim measures of the court could not completely solve the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories and the conditions have been created for a new situation. emergency order
“Israel must immediately stop its military offensive in Rafah.”
The court tabled South Africa’s request to end its attack on Rafah, a week after Pretoria accused Israel of genocide.
Israel has repeatedly rejected the accusation of genocide in court as baseless, saying in court that its operation in Gaza was self-defense and targeting Hamas militants who attacked Israel on October 7.
“No power on earth can stop Israel from protecting its citizens and engaging Hamas in Gaza,” an Israeli government spokesman said before Friday’s decision.
Israel attacked the southern city of Rafah this month, forcing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to flee the city, which has become a haven for nearly half of its 2.3 million people.
Rafah, on the southern outskirts of Gaza, has also been a major route for aid, with international organizations saying Israeli operations have encroached on the enclave and increased the risk of starvation.
South African lawyers last week asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague to take swift action, saying Israel’s attack on Rafah must be stopped for the safety of the Palestinian people.
The ICJ, also known as the World Court, is the highest UN body to hear disputes between countries. The decision is final and binding, but not retrospective. The court has no enforcement power.
The decision against Israel could put more diplomatic pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court – a special court in The Hague – announced on Monday that it had filed arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ovov Gallant, as well as senior Hamas leaders.
Prosecutor Karim Khan charged Netanyahu and Gallant with the crime of extermination, using hunger as a weapon and deliberately attacking a peaceful population. Israel strongly denies the allegations and has called on its allies to withdraw from the trial.
South Africa’s wider case at the ICJ accuses Israel of state-sponsored genocide against the Palestinian people. The ICJ has not yet ruled on the merits of the charges – which could take years – but has rejected Israel’s bid to dismiss the case.
In a previous decision, the court allowed Israel to come to the aid of Gaza by refusing to order it to prevent genocidal actions against Palestinians and to stop Israeli military operations.
Israel launched an air and ground war in Gaza after Hamas-led militants attacked communities in southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostage, according to a senior Israeli official. More than 35,000 Palestinians were killed in the attack, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
