5/24/2024–|Last updated: 5/24/202404:47 PM (Mecca time)
The International Court of Justice said that Israel must immediately stop its attack on the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, in a decision issued today, Friday, at the request of South Africa, as part of a comprehensive lawsuit accusing Tel Aviv of committing genocide in the Strip.
The text of the decision read by the President of the International Court of Justice, Lebanese Judge Nawaf Salam, stated that “according to the Genocide Convention, any additional action in Rafah may lead to partial or total destruction.”
The court considered the attack on Rafah “a dangerous development that increases the suffering of the population,” noting that Israel “did not do enough to ensure the safety and security of the displaced.”
Judge Salam explained that the circumstances require changing the decision issued by the court on March 28, which was the first decision in the case that obligated Israel to take temporary measures to ensure compliance with the Genocide Convention.
Approval of 13 judges
The court’s decision came with the approval of 13 of its members, while two members rejected it.
The court said that “the conditions are met to take new emergency measures in the case of accusing Israel of genocide,” and that Israel must stop its military operations in Rafah.
The resolution obliges Israel to guarantee access to any committee to investigate or investigate the charge of genocide.
It also requires it to submit to the court within a month a report on the steps it will take.
