The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the highest court of the United Nations, ordered this Friday (24), through a collegial decision, the immediate interruption of Israel’s operations in the city of Rafah, in Gaza.
“Israel must immediately stop the military offensive and any other action in Rafah that imposes living conditions on Palestinians in Gaza that could lead to their total or partial physical destruction,” says an excerpt from the decision.
The judges also ordered the Israeli government to allow humanitarian aid to enter the city, located on the southern border between Gaza and Egypt, and guarantee access to the enclave for international observers. Furthermore, the court gave Tel Aviv a month’s deadline to present information on the progress of the war with Hamas.
The decision came after the court heard arguments from South Africa and Israel, respectively, about the risks to civilians in the Gaza Strip, following the intensification of the Israeli Army’s offensive on the city of Rafah.
The South Africans justified the request by saying that the operation poses “extreme risk” to the “very survival” of Palestinians in the enclave.
Israel reiterated that it has respected international laws, taking measures to reduce the number of civilian deaths, which includes evacuation warnings before military actions in Gaza. However, he stated that Hamas continues to use civilian infrastructure to hide its members and stockpile weapons.
The decision of the UN highest court is mandatory, however the court does not have a police force to ensure compliance.
Israel’s Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, spoke out after the order was released, stating that the country will not accept the decision, which he interpreted as “a demand for Israel not to exist.”
Hamas received the news positively, declaring in a statement that the court’s plan to send representatives to the Gaza Strip is “welcome.”
Israel’s operations in Rafah began at the beginning of the month, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the city was Hamas’ last stronghold. Since then, the country has suffered intense criticism from the international community, including the United States, which announced the temporary interruption of sending heavy weapons to Tel Aviv.
The new UN decision should put even more pressure on Israel in relation to other countries.
Request for hostage release
The ICJ also called on Hamas, this Friday, to release, “immediately and unconditionally”, the hostages kidnapped in the October 7 attack.
In the decision, handed down in The Hague, the court stated that “it is deeply disturbing that some of these hostages remain in captivity in the Gaza Strip.”
#court #pressures #Israel #halt #operations #Rafah