Israel-Hamas War UN Order: The International Court of Justice on Friday ordered Israel to immediately stop military operations in Gaza’s Rafah city. International pressure on Israel has increased over the war against Hamas. The Hague-based court’s chief judge, Nawaf Salam, said: ‘Israel must immediately cease its military offensive and any other action in Rafah. It could lead to the total or partial destruction of the lives of Palestinians in Gaza.
ICJ Chief Justice Salam said the court considers the humanitarian situation in Rafah “catastrophic”. The situation is going to get “more dire” if Israel’s actions in Rafah continue. Earlier, Israel launched a limited ground attack in Rafah on May 7, ignoring the advice of several international organizations including the US. The border with Egypt was locked as soon as the Israeli army entered Rafah, and has been closed ever since. It was an important entry point for humanitarian aid into Gaza.
The ICJ said that more than one million Palestinians had previously sought refuge there following Israel’s military operation in Rafah, but that nearly eight million had fled the city since the attack. The court said that Israel’s efforts to evict the city’s refugees and the living conditions were not sufficient to mitigate the enormous dangers faced by Palestinians. ICJ decisions are final and binding, but there is no mechanism for enforcing them, and they have previously been ignored at the international level.
South Africa filed an application against Israel at the ICJ on 10 May. accused Israel of endangering the lives of people in Rafah by forcibly evicting them. South Africa has accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in the seven-month-long conflict. Israel has denied all these charges leveled against it in the ICJ. He urged the court to respect Israel’s current position because of Hamas.
Tags: Gaza Strip, Israel, United Nations
First published: May 24, 2024, 20:38 IST