Court orders Israel to tackle famine in Gaza
Judges at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) have unanimously ordered Israel to take all necessary and effective action to ensure that basic food supplies arrive without delay for Palestinians in Gaza.
The ICJ said yesterday that civilians faced worsening conditions and that famine and starvation were spreading.
“The court observes that Palestinians in Gaza are no longer facing only a risk of famine… but that famine is setting in,” the judges said.
The new measures were requested by South Africa as part of its ongoing case accusing Israel of state-led genocide in Gaza.
In January the ICJ, also known as the World Court, ordered Israel to refrain from any acts that could fall under the Genocide Convention.
In yesterday’s order, the court reaffirmed the January measures but added that Israel must ensure unhindered provision of basic services and humanitarian assistance including food, water and electricity, as well as medical supplies and medical care to Palestinians throughout Gaza.
The judges added that this could be done “by increasing the capacity and number of land crossing points and maintaining them open for as long as necessary”.
The court ordered Israel to submit a report in a month to detail how it had given effect to the ruling.
There was no immediate comment from Israel’s Foreign Ministry on the ruling. Israel has said it is making efforts to expand access for humanitarian groups to Gaza overland, through air drops and by ship.
Meanwhile, Volker Türk, the UN’s human rights high commissioner, told the BBC that there was a “plausible” case that Israel was using starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza.
Israel’s economy minister, Nir Barkat, dismissed the comments as “total nonsense”.