International Court of Justice orders Israel to immediately halt its military assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah

THE HAGUE, May 24 (SABAH): Judges at the top United Nations court ordered Israel on Friday to halt its military assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah in a landmark emergency ruling on South Africa’s case accusing Israel of genocide.

Reading out a ruling by the International Court of Justice or World Court, the body’s president Nawaf Salam said provisional measures ordered by the court in March did not fully address the situation in the besieged Palestinian enclave now, and conditions had been met for a new emergency order. “Israel must immediately halt its military offensive” in Rafah, he said.

The International Court of Justice has ordered Israel to report to the court within one month its progress in applying measures ordered by the institution on Friday.

The International Court of Justice ordered Israel to ensure the “uninterrupted access” of UN fact-finding missions and commissions to investigate charges of genocide in Gaza.

The International Court of Justice ordered Israel to maintain and keep the Rafah crossing opened for the “unhindered” provision of aid and basic services into Gaza.

Nawaf Salam said it “is not convinced that evacuation efforts […] that Israel affirms to have undertaken to enhance the security of civilians in Gaza strip […] are sufficient to alleviate the immense risks to which the Palestinian population is exposed as a result of the military offence in Rafah.”

The International Court of Justice said that the humanitarian situation in Gaza’s Rafah is now classified as “disastrous”

The International Court of Justice said that the humanitarian situation in Gaza’s Rafah has “deteriorated further” since its last order.

Nawaf Salam said the situation in the Palestinian enclave had deteriorated since the court last ordered Israel to take steps to improve it. Conditions had been met for a new emergency order.

The order was adopted by the panel of 15 judges from around the world in a 13-2 vote, opposed only by judges from Uganda and Israel itself.

It was handed down a week after it was requested by South Africa as part of a case accusing Israel of genocide.

Meanwhile South Africa has welcomed the International Court of Justice order to Israel to halt its offensive in the Gaza city of Rafah, and urged UN member states to back it. “I believe it’s a much stronger, in terms of wording, set of provisional measures, very clear call for a cessation,” Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor told public broadcaster SABC.