The request, filed by South Africa and supported by Egypt, is expected to add to growing international pressure on Israel.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) ruled that Israel must end its Rafah offensive at a session held in The Hague on Friday.
Judge Nawaf Salam, who led the court hearing, cited UN officials who repeatedly stressed the humanitarian risks of the military offensive in Rafah, where some 800,000 Palestinians are displaced.
He indicated that the Palestinian people were in “immediate danger”.
The case was brought to the ICJ by South Africa as an emergency measure, as part of a broader case that South Africa brought to the Court over Israel’s actions in Gaza.
But Israel is unlikely to comply with such an order.
Although the International Court of Justice’s ruling is a blow to Israel’s international reputation, the court does not have a police force to enforce its orders. In another case on its docket, Russia has so far ignored a 2022 court order aimed at halting its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Israel has indicated that it will also ignore the ICJ’s order to stop its operations.
“No power in the world will stop Israel from protecting its citizens and attacking Hamas in Gaza,” government spokesperson Avi Hyman said during a press briefing on Thursday.
Criticism of Israel’s conduct in the Gaza war has mounted, even from its closest ally, the United States, which has warned of an invasion of Rafah, where Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have sought refuge to avoid fighting elsewhere.
Also this week, three European countries announced they would recognize a Palestinian state while the chief prosecutor of another U.N. court sought arrest warrants for Israeli leaders, as well as Hamas officials.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also under strong pressure in his country to end the war, which was sparked when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took some 250 prisoners. Thousands of Israelis are taking part in weekly protests calling on the government to reach a deal to bring the hostages home, fearing time is running out.
To note that the court did not call for a complete ceasefire in the Gaza Strip as South Africa requested during last week’s hearings.
