The United Nations’ top court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), on Friday rejected South Africa’s request to increase legal pressure on Israel to end its offensive on Gaza’s Rafah, saying it “must comply with existing measures”.
Pretoria has already filed a complaint once morest Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, alleging that Israel’s attack on the Gaza Strip is a violation of the Genocide Convention.
The court has yet to rule on the main issue, but on January 26 it ordered Israel to allow humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip and protect Palestinian civilians.
South African officials filed another request with the court on Tuesday, seeking to order new measures as Israel prepares a new operation once morest Rafa.
Rafah is now home to more than half of the 2.4 million people living in Gaza since Israel’s offensive began. residents of the Gaza Strip.
The ICJ judges acknowledged that the latest developments would “exponentially increase what is already a humanitarian nightmare with untold consequences for the region”, quoting UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres.
They added that while Israel must take immediate action to ensure the safety of Palestinians, this does not require “an indication of additional interim measures.”
The ICJ ruling states that Israel “must fully comply with its obligations under the Genocide Convention and the aforementioned resolution,” citing the Jan. 26 ruling.
Despite the rejection of its latest application, South Africa welcomed the latest decision of the ICJ.
It reiterated that the dangerous situation in the Gaza Strip requires immediate and effective implementation of the emergency measures ordered by the court in its Jan. 26 ruling, it said in a statement late Friday.
“The court made it clear that Israel must ensure the safety of all Palestinians in the Gaza Strip under the existing interim measures,” said Vincent Magwenya, spokesman for PA President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The Hamas attack in Israel killed regarding 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Earlier this week, the Israeli military announced that it had rescued two hostages during a nighttime operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, regarding 100 people were killed in the Israeli bombardment in Rafah.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, at least 28,775 people, mostly women and children, have already been killed in the enclave during Israel’s retaliatory bombardment and ground offensive.
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2024-05-06 10:06:41
