The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Thursday indicated additional interim measures, including the “unimpeded provision” of aid to the Gaza Strip, in the ongoing genocide proceedings against Israel at the request of the Republic of South Africa.
“The catastrophic living conditions of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have further worsened,” the ICJ decision said, citing changes in the situation since its interim ruling on January 26.
South Africa filed a complaint with the ICJ in late 2023, accusing Israel of failing to fulfill its obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention. On March 6, it requested additional interim measures based on the change in the situation.
The ICJ said it had indicated the new measures since the provisional measures outlined in the previous order “do not fully address the consequences arising from changes in the situation”.
Since January 26, “the catastrophic living conditions of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have further worsened, especially in light of the prolonged and widespread deprivation of food and other basic necessities to which Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have been exposed,” the IJC noted.
The UN court reaffirmed earlier measures and called on Israel to “take all necessary and effective measures to ensure the ‘unimpeded provision’ of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance, including food, water, electricity, fuel, shelter, clothing, hygiene and sanitation, as well as medical supplies and medical care for Palestinians throughout Gaza, including increasing the capacity and number of land crossings and keeping them open as long as necessary”.
He also ordered Israel to urgently ensure that its military “does not commit acts that constitute a violation of any rights of Palestinians in Gaza as a protected group under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, including preventing, by any action, the delivery of urgently needed humanitarian aid.”
The court also asked Israel to submit a report within one month on the measures taken under the latest order, AA writes.
