A two-day hearing at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ended today with the court’s request from Israel to provide information on the existing humanitarian conditions in certain evacuation zones in the Gaza Strip.
The second day of the hearing was held in The Hague, and Israel’s defense responded to South Africa’s urgent request for additional interim measures against Israel.
Israel’s representative Gilad Noam said the notice of the hearing came as a big surprise, adding that although Israel had asked for the hearing to be postponed until next week, it had been refused.
Claiming that Israel has worked diligently to ensure the protection of civilians, Noam said it is Israel’s right and obligation to defend its citizens.
Tamar Kaplan Tourgeman, chief deputy legal adviser at Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, claims that Israel has not closed the two main crossings in southern Gaza, the Rafah and Kerem Shalom border crossings.
“This is patently false,” Tourgeman said, arguing that Israel is allowing and facilitating more humanitarian aid.
She asked the court to reject South Africa’s request for interim measures.
While she was speaking, someone shouted “liar” in the courtroom, causing the hearing to be briefly interrupted.
Before closing the hearing, the ICJ asked the Israeli delegation about the humanitarian situation in the evacuation zones in the besieged enclave.
“Can Israel provide information on the existing humanitarian conditions in certain evacuation zones, particularly in al-Mawasa, and to ensure safe passage to those zones, as well as the provision of shelter, food, water and other humanitarian assistance to all evacuees who are and who can be expected to reach these zones?” read judge Georg Nolte.
South Africa on Thursday requested an order to end the Israeli offensive on Gaza from the ICJ as part of additional interim measures against Israel.
The South African delegation pointed to Israel’s willful violation of binding court orders. The delegation said they were forced to return to court because of “the continued destruction of the Palestinian people.”
South Africa last Friday submitted an urgent request to the ICJ for additional measures amid Israeli attacks on Gaza, particularly in the town of Rafah, where more than 1.4 million Palestinians have taken refuge.
“The situation created by the Israeli attack on Rafah, and the extreme risk it poses 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, is not only an escalation of the situation, but leads to new facts that cause irreparable harm to the rights of the Palestinian people in Gaza,” the South African Republic’s request stated.
In late 2023, South Africa filed a complaint with the International Court of Justice, accusing Israel of failing to fulfill its obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention.
The United Nations (UN) Court ruled in an interim ruling in January that South Africa’s claims were convincing. He ordered interim measures for the Israeli government to desist from genocidal acts and to take measures to ensure the provision of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza.
However, Israel has not complied with any of these decisions, AA writes.
