UN court rules Israel must prevent killing، harm of Palestinians

Israel must immediately act to prevent the killing and harm to innocent Palestinians in Gaza، the United Nations’ top court ruled، stopping short of ordering a halt to its military operations there.

The International Court of Justice said that Israel must also act to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to victims of its assault، in an interim decision delivered at The Hague on Friday.     

While the ICJ’s judgments are binding without course for appeal، it can’t itself enforce its orders and other countries have chosen to ignore them، notably Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

South Africa filed its case at the ICJ in December over Israel’s three-month military operation in the Palestinian territory of Gaza. South Africa argued that the military strikes constitute genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and also asked for a fast-track ruling that orders an immediate end to Israel’s attacks. The killing “is nothing short of destruction of Palestinian life،” Adila Hassim، a lawyer representing South Africa، said at a Jan. 11 hearing on the case.

Israel had rejected the allegations this month، arguing its campaign in Gaza is a legitimate defense against what it called the largest calculated mass murder of Jews in a single day since the Holocaust.