UN court orders Israel to allow unhindered aid to Gaza

“Palestinians in Gaza are no longer facing only a risk of famine, as noted in the order, but that famine is setting in,” the International Court of Justice said, urging Israel to cooperate with the UN.

Xinhua

THE HAGUE:The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague on Thursday ordered Israel to do whatever is necessary to ensure that basic aid reaches the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip.

“Israel should take all necessary and effective measures to ensure, without delay, in full cooperation with the United Nations, the unhindered provision at scale by all concerned of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance,” the ICJ stated in its ruling.

These include “food, water, electricity, fuel, shelter, clothing, hygiene and sanitation requirements, as well as medical supplies and medical care to Palestinians throughout Gaza, including by increasing the capacity and number of land crossing points and maintaining them open for as long as necessary.”

This photo taken on Dec. 30, 2023 shows the Peace Palace, the seat of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), in The Hague, the Netherlands. (Xinhua/Wang Xiangjiang)

The ruling is an addition to a Jan. 26 verdict, in which the ICJ ordered Israel to take all possible measures to prevent acts of genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, to halt incitement against Palestinians as a group, to preserve evidence and to take immediate measures to ensure humanitarian aid.

On Dec. 29, 2023, South Africa filed an application to the ICJ for proceedings against Israel concerning alleged violations of its obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention in relation to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

According to the court, the provisional measures indicated in that order of Jan. 26 do not fully address the consequences arising from the changes on the ground. Therefore, the Court determined that modifications to these measures were justified.

 Children try to get food relief in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, on Dec. 31, 2023. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

The court stated that since that ruling, “the catastrophic living conditions of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have deteriorated further, in particular, in view of the prolonged and widespread deprivation of food and other necessities to which the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have been subjected.”

“Palestinians in Gaza are no longer facing only a risk of famine, as noted in the order, but that famine is setting in,” it said.  ■