The Israeli army continues its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip with bombings against Rafah, in the south of the enclave, considered the last stronghold of the Palestinian armed movement. This comes at a time when the International Court of Justice has just ordered Israel to provide “urgent humanitarian aid” to the civilian population of Gaza, which is under threat of imminent famine, according to the UN.
Published to: 03/29/2024 – 12:12
2 min
Based in The Hague, the International Court of Justice, the UN’s highest judicial body, declared yesterday that Israel must “guarantee without delay”without restrictions and on a large scale, the basic services and humanitarian aid urgently needed by the population of Gaza.
In fact, the World Food Program considers that “there is no other place in the world where so many people face imminent famine”, referring to the situation of approximately one and a half million people, many of them displaced, who are concentrated in the south of the enclave, with almost no access to international aid.
Given Israel’s restrictions on the arrival of support, the United States and other countries, notably France, have carried out the distribution of aid by air, but this method is not without risks. Just this week, according to official data, 12 people drowned while trying to retrieve aid packages that had fallen into the sea.
In this context, “the court notes that Palestinians in Gaza no longer just face a risk of starvation (…), but that famine is taking hold”said the International Court of Justice yesterday, which also ordered Israel to ensure that “its armed forces do not commit acts that constitute a violation of the rights of Palestinians in Gaza (…), including preventing, through any action, the provision of urgently needed humanitarian assistance”.
In their decision, the judges of the International Court of Justice also reiterated their call for the immediate release of all hostages held by Hamas, already set out in the resolution approved on Monday by the UN Security Council calling for a “cease immediate fire” in Gaza.
The decision of this court was welcomed by Hamas, which appealed to its “immediate compliance”.
However, for now, there is no indication that this order will be respected, the Palestinian armed movement that controls the Gaza strip having reported this morning dozens of deaths in the Israeli bombings that are concentrated in Rafah, a city in the south of the enclave.
Just yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed his determination to launch a ground offensive against this city, which he considers to be Hamas’ last stronghold in the Gaza Strip. “We have the north of the Gaza Strip and Khan Younès (south). We divide the Gaza Strip and we are preparing to enter Rafah”declared Netanyahu this Thursday.
Tags: International Court Justice orders Israel provide urgent aid Gaza population
