On Friday, May 24th, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to halt military operations in Rafah that pose a risk to the civilian population taking shelter there.
"Israel must immediately halt its military offensive and any other action in the Rafah governorate which may inflict on the Palestinian group in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part," states the ruling.
In addition, the court demanded that Israel immediately open the Rafah crossing point and grant access to Gaza to representatives of any investigative body designated by the United Nations. Israel is required to report on the measures taken within one month. The decision was supported by 13 votes, with representatives of Israel and Uganda voting against it.
The court's president, Lebanese judge Nawaf Salam, declared that South Africa's new lawsuit for the cessation of war essentially continues the lawsuit filed by it in December, accusing Israel of genocide in the Gaza Strip. In February, South Africa again appealed to the court over the "situation in Rafah," requesting a review and amendment of the decision made earlier this year.
Documents previously released by the International Court stated that South Africa accuses Israel of "irreparable harm" caused by the deployment of troops in Rafah. The lawsuit pointed out that Israel has taken control of the Rafah border crossing and controls the Kerem Shalom crossing, jeopardizing the flow of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and the operation of hospitals.
Israel denies these accusations, emphasizing that no restrictions on the volume of humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip have been imposed, and the operation in Rafah is conducted with surgical precision, targeting only Hamas militants.
