South Africa is calling for new emergency measures following the latest Israeli offensive against the southern Gaza city.
South Africa has asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to order Israel to withdraw from Rafah as part of additional emergency measures linked to the Gaza war, the Nations’ highest court said United.
In the ongoing case brought by South Africa, which accuses Israel of acts of genocide against the Palestinians, the ICJ in January ordered Israel to refrain from any acts that might fall under the Genocide Convention and to ensure that its troops do not commit any acts of genocide against the Palestinians.
Israel has repeatedly said it is acting in accordance with international law in Gaza, and has called the South African genocide case baseless and accused Pretoria of acting as “the legal arm of Hamas”.
In documents released Friday, South Africa calls for additional emergency measures in light of continued military action in Rafah, which it calls the “last refuge” of Palestinians in Gaza.
The southern Gaza city is teeming with hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians living in dire conditions and there have been warnings that an Israeli ground offensive would trigger a humanitarian catastrophe for civilians.
South Africa’s request says the Israeli operation against Rafah poses an “extreme risk” to “humanitarian supplies and basic services in Gaza, to the survival of the Palestinian medical system and to the very survival of Palestinians in Gaza.” Gaza as a group,” according to the UN tribunal. said in a statement.
“Those who have survived so far now face imminent death and a Court order is necessary to ensure their survival,” South Africa’s filing says.
South Africa also asked the court to order that Israel allow unhindered access to Gaza for UN officials, organizations providing humanitarian aid, as well as journalists and investigators.
PRESS RELEASE: South Africa submits an urgent request for the indication of additional provisional measures and modification of previous provisional measures indicated by the #ICJ in the case #South Africa v. #Israel pic.twitter.com/minw5GvpMK
–CIJ_ICJ (@CIJ_ICJ) May 10, 2024
Israel’s 401st Brigade entered the Rafah crossing on Tuesday morning, a day after Gaza’s ruling Palestinian group said it had accepted a ceasefire proposal brokered by Egypt and Qatar. Israel, for its part, insisted that the proposal did not meet its main demands.
Tanks and planes shelled several areas and at least four houses in Rafah overnight, killing 20 Palestinians and injuring several others, according to Palestinian health officials.
Some 110,000 Palestinians have fled Rafah in recent days, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). The UN also noted that the Israeli army’s capture of the Rafah border crossing has blocked the entry of aid into Gaza for the past three days.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Rafah offensive was necessary to defeat Hamas.
At least 34,943 people have been killed and 78,572 injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The death toll in Israel following the October 7 Hamas attacks stands at 1,139, with dozens still held captive in Gaza.
South Africa filed a complaint against Israel at the ICJ in January, accusing the country of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
The UN’s highest court ruled that there was a plausible risk of genocide in the enclave and ordered Israel to take a series of interim measures, including to prevent any acts of genocide.
The court rejected a second South African request for emergency measures filed in March following Israel’s threat to attack Rafah.
The ICJ, also known as the World Court, typically rules on requests for emergency measures within a few weeks. It will likely be years before the court rules on the merits of the case. Even if the ICJ’s judgments are binding and final, the Court has no way of enforcing them.