The International Court of Justice has ordered Israel to halt its military offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, and to take measures to ensure U.N. investigators have unimpeded access to Gaza to investigate allegations of genocide.
In a ruling read out on Friday, the court also called for the immediate and unconditional release of hostages held by Hamas.
Despite the ruling, the International Court of Justice does not have any way to enforce it, meaning the decision is not expected result in an immediate cease-fire. Russia has so far ignored the ICJ’s order to halt its invasion of Ukraine.
The cease-fire request was brought forward as part of South Africa’s case accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza, as it attacked Hamas following that group’s brutal assault on Israel last Oct. 7. Israel has vehemently denied the accusations of genocide.
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While the case is likely to take years to conclude, South Africa sought the cease-fire orders to protect Palestinians living in Gaza. Israel’s offensive has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry and U.N. officials, and has caused a humanitarian crisis and a near-famine.
“Israel takes extraordinary measures in order to minimize the harm to civilians in Gaza,” Tamar Kaplan-Tourgeman, a member of Israel’s legal team, told the court last week.
The ruling adds to mounting international pressure on Israel to halt military operations in Gaza, nearly eight months into its war against Hamas.
A prosecutor in the International Criminal Court, also based in The Hague in the Netherlands, has recently announced he is currently seeking an arrest warrant for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his defense minister and three Hamas leaders.
“No amount of pressure and no decision in any international forum will prevent Israel from defending itself against those who seek our destruction,” Netanyahu said in a statement reacting to the ICC’s announcement.