On Friday (24 May), the United Nations’ (UN) International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an order for Israel to halt military operations in Rafah — located in southern Gaza — “immediately”.
Source: United Nations on YouTube
The UN court also ordered Israel to keep the Rafah crossing for humanitarian assistance.
The orders came just days after the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Hamas leaders.
On 24 May (Friday), the ICJ ordered Israel to halt military operations in Rafah “immediately”.
The court also called for the immediate release of all hostages still held by Palestinian militants.
The demand came after the Israeli military recovered the bodies of three more hostages from northern Gaza.
The ICJ also told Israel to keep the Rafah crossing — between Egypt and Gaza — “for unhindered provision at scale of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance”
However, Israel insisted that the Rafah operations aligned with international law and did not risk the destruction of Palestinian civilians.
National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said in a joint statement with a foreign ministry spokesman:
Israel has not and will not carry out military operations in the Rafah area that create living conditions that could cause the destruction of the Palestinian civilian population, in whole or in part.
The adviser also said that Israel will continue to allow the Rafah crossing to be open so humanitarian assistance can arrive from the Egyptian side of the border.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was in talks with ministers, had no immediate response.
Mr Riyad Mansour — the Palestinian ambassador to the UN — urged Israel to abide by the court’s ruling immediately.
Hamas, on the other hand, accepted the ruling but wished it would apply to the whole Gaza Strip.
The ICJ’s orders are legally binding, but it has no police to enforce its orders.
Also read: UN Security Council demands immediate ceasefire in Gaza, US abstains from vote
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Featured image adapted from United Nations on YouTube and Unsplash.
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