The International Court of Justice (ICJ) announced on Friday that it will rule on South Africa’s request to order a halt to the Israeli offensive on Rafah, where more than a million displaced Palestinians have sought refuge from Israeli attacks on the enclave, reports Anadolu.
The Republic of South Africa asked the ICJ to order a halt to the Israeli offensive in Gaza, and in particular in Rafah, in order to ensure the survival of the Palestinian people.
After initial hearings in January, the ICJ issued several interim measures, ordering Israel to take steps to limit humanitarian suffering in Gaza.
“Israeli legal experts estimate that there is a high probability that the ICJ will decide on the ban on Friday,” an Israeli diplomatic source told the Israel Hayom newspaper.
He said the court could either order an end to Israeli military operations in Rafah or seek an end to the Gaza war based on court injunctions.
If the court were to order an end to the war in Gaza, it would be “the worst scenario that Israel fears,” the newspaper said: “Such orders could significantly jeopardize Israel’s ability to continue its military mission in Gaza, although Israel has repeatedly stressed that it is not bound to abide by the court’s rulings.”
Israel is concerned that the ban by the International Court of Justice could speed up a similar resolution in the UN Security Council, where Tel Aviv would again have to rely on the US veto to block it, the paper further said.
“Israeli officials are preparing for that possibility in the coming days,” it added, AA writes.
