Palestinian factions and Hamas movement have welcomed the International Court of Justice’s ruling on South Africa’s case against ‘Israel’, demanding an immediate cessation of all offensive operations in Rafah City, on Friday May 24th, 2024.
“We welcome the decisions of the International Court of Justice, which demanded the occupation to immediately cease its aggression on Rafah.
We were expecting the court to issue a decision to stop the aggression and genocide across the entire Gaza Strip, not just in Rafah. What is happening in Jabalia and elsewhere is no less criminal and dangerous than what is happening in Rafah,” the movement said
It appealed to the international community and the United Nations to pressure the Israeli occupation to implement the court’s decisions and to ensure that all UN resolutions that compel the occupation army to cease the genocide war are enforced.
ICJ judges deemed the situation in Rafah as “exceptionally dire,” expressing doubt about Israel’s assurances of safety and humanitarian access.
They ordered ‘Israel’ to halt its offensive in Rafah and withdraw troops, insisting on reopening border crossings for humanitarian aid. Additionally, they emphasized the urgent need for UN observers to access the area to prevent the disappearance of evidence related to possible war crimes.
The decision which has been met with immense applause did not please the Israeli leaders, who incited for more bombing and large-scale military operations in Rafah.
Israeli Channel 12 reported that Israel’s national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir said, “the response to the anti-Semitic court decision is to occupy Rafah and increase military pressure on Hamas.”
Despite the ICJ’s demand for immediate halt of attacks in Rafah City, Israeli Minister of Culture and Sports Miki Zohar emphasized that the invasion of Rafah will continue “until the captives return home.”
He stated on X: “Judges from The Hague High Court are encouraged to visit Gaza and persuade Hamas to repatriate our abductees.”
In a relative context, the UN Security Council has adopted a resolution urging for the protection of humanitarian workers and UN personnel in conflict zones.
The UN underscored that over 190 of its staff have been killed by the Israeli occupation forces attacks in Gaza since October 7, marking the highest number of casualties in the organization’s history.
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