In a major ruling for the war-torn Gaza Strip, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) judges unanimously ordered Israel to ensure unimpeded access to basic food supplies to the city's Palestinian population. ordered that immediate and effective measures be taken. The ICJ highlighted the deterioration of living conditions in the Gaza Strip and expressed serious concern about hunger and the intensification of famine.
“The court finds that the Palestinians in Gaza no longer face only the risk of starvation, but that starvation has begun,” the judges said in their directive.
These measures were sought by South Africa in the context of ongoing litigation alleging Israeli involvement in state-sponsored genocide in Gaza. Notably, in January, the ICJ, commonly referred to as the World Court, ordered Israel to refrain from actions that could fall under the Genocide Convention and for the Israeli military to refrain from any acts of genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. This is what I was instructed to do.
In Thursday's order, the court reaffirmed the January measures, allowing Israel to continue providing unimpeded access to basic services and humanitarian assistance to Palestinians across Gaza, including food, water, electricity, medicine, and medical care. He added that action must be taken.
The judges added that this could be done “by increasing the capacity and number of land crossing points and keeping them open for as long as necessary.” The court ordered Israel to submit a report within a month of the order detailing how it affected the decision.
