The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Friday rejected a South African request to impose urgent measures to safeguard Rafah in the Gaza Strip but also stressed that Israel must respect earlier measures imposed late last month.
Headquartered in The Hague, the ICJ issued its decision “on South Africa’s request for additional provisional measures.”
“The Court notes that the most recent developments in the Gaza Strip, and in Rafah in particular, would exponentially increase what is already a humanitarian nightmare with untold regional consequences,” Arab World Press reported.
“This perilous situation demands immediate and effective implementation of the provisional measures indicated by the Court in its Order of 26 January 2024, which are applicable throughout the Gaza Strip, including in Rafah, and does not demand the indication of additional provisional measures.”
The Court emphasizes that Israel “remains bound to fully comply with its obligations under the Genocide Convention and with the said Order, including by ensuring the safety and security of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.”
In January, South Africa filed a case at the top UN court in The Hague, accusing Israel of committing genocide in its war on Gaza.
South Africa’s government said Tuesday it had lodged an “urgent request” with the UN’s ICJ to consider whether Israel’s military operations targeting the southern Gaza city of Rafah are a breach of provisional orders the court handed down last month in a case alleging genocide.
“Israel regrets that South Africa seeks once again to misuse the Court’s provisional measures procedure,” Israel said in its observations on South Africa’s request for additional measures. South Africa refers in its request to “a significant development in the situation in Gaza,” but there has been nothing of the sort, it added.
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