Benny Gantz, one of three members of Israel’s War Cabinet, indicated his country’s military won’t change its conduct in Rafah despite an order from the top U.N. court to halt the widening offensive there. Gantz’s comments Friday were Israel’s most senior reaction to the International Court of Justice ruling, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not make an immediate public response.
Quick Read
- UN Court Order:
- The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Israel to stop its military offensive in Rafah, Gaza.
- The ICJ stopped short of mandating a full ceasefire across Gaza.
- Humanitarian Crisis:
- The ICJ directed Israel to keep the Rafah border crossing open, citing a “disastrous” humanitarian situation.
- Over a million Palestinians have fled Rafah, with many lacking basic necessities.
- Global Criticism:
- Israel faces significant global criticism over the high death toll and humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
- South Africa’s case against Israel includes accusations of genocide, with the ICJ’s interim orders intended to protect Palestinians.
- Death Toll and Conflict Background:
- The Gaza Health Ministry reports at least 35,000 Palestinians killed, though combatant and civilian deaths are not distinguished.
- Israel’s war in Gaza began after Hamas attacked on October 7, killing about 1,200 people in Israel and taking around 250 hostages.
- Current Developments:
- Israel’s army recovered the bodies of three more hostages killed on October 7.
- The UN Security Council is set to vote on a resolution demanding the protection of aid workers and condemning attacks on the UN.
- Israel’s Response:
- Israeli War Cabinet member Benny Gantz indicated Israel will continue its Rafah operations despite the ICJ ruling.
- Gantz emphasized adherence to international law and the campaign’s justification following the October 7 attack.
- South Africa’s Position:
- South Africa welcomed the ICJ’s order and called for UN Security Council action to enforce it.
- South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor highlighted the growing strength of their genocide allegations against Israel.
- Enforcement Challenges:
- The ICJ lacks enforcement mechanisms, and Israel is unlikely to comply with the order.
- The situation underscores the broader challenges in enforcing international court rulings, as seen in other cases like Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Associated Press has the story:
Benny Gantz: Israel won’t change course in Rafah after ICC ruling
Newslooks- JERUSALEM — (AP)
Benny Gantz, one of three members of Israel’s War Cabinet, indicated his country’s military won’t change its conduct in Rafah despite an order from the top U.N. court to halt the widening offensive there. Gantz’s comments Friday were Israel’s most senior reaction to the International Court of Justice ruling, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not make an immediate public response.
Gantz said Israel “set out on a just and necessary campaign following the brutal massacre of its citizens,” which includes the sending troops into Rafah. Israel portrays the southern city as the last Hamas stronghold.
“We will continue operating in accordance with international law wherever we might operate, while safeguarding to the best extent possible the civilian population,” Gantz said. “Not because of the ICJ, but because of who we are and the values we stand for.”
The world court does not have a police force to enforce its orders, meaning Israel is unlikely to comply.
The court also ordered Israel to reopen the Rafah border crossing. But it did not call for a full cease-fire throughout Gaza as South Africa, which brought the case, requested at hearings last week. Israel was told to halt its military offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, but judges on the top United Nations court stopped short of ordering a full cease-fire throughout the Palestinian territory.
The International Court of Justice also ordered Israel to keep the Rafah border crossing open, saying “the humanitarian situation is now to be characterized as disastrous.”
Israel faces global criticism over the mounting death toll and devastating humanitarian crisis in Gaza. More than a million Palestinians fled Rafah in recent weeks as Israeli forces pressed deeper into the city. People displaced by fighting lack shelter, food, water and other essentials for survival, the U.N. humanitarian agency said Wednesday.
The cease-fire request is part of a case filed late last year by South Africa accusing Israel of committing genocide during its Gaza campaign. Israel vehemently denies the allegations. The case at will take years to resolve, but South Africa wants interim orders to protect Palestinians while the legal wrangling continues.
At least 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between combatants and civilians.
Israel launched its war in Gaza after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack in which militants stormed into southern Israel, killed about 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and abducted about 250. Israel says around 100 hostages are still captive in Gaza, along with the bodies of around 30 more. The Israeli army said Friday that it recovered the bodies of three more hostages killed on Oct. 7.
SOUTH AFRICA WELCOMES ICJ ORDER ON GAZA, LOOKS TO U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL FOR ACTION
CAPE TOWN, South Africa — South Africa welcomed the top U.N. court’s order for Israel to stop its offensive in southern Gaza, and said it’s up to the U.N. Security Council to take action to enforce the ruling and alleviate the dire humanitarian situation.
Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor said the International Court of Justice put forth a “much stronger” set of provisional measures on Friday which were a “very clear call for a cessation.” In an interview with state broadcaster SABC, she said South Africa’s allegation that a genocide is taking place is getting “stronger and stronger by the day.”
She said the U.N. Security Council has the responsibility to now determine measures to protect Palestinians in Gaza.
“We are all seeing the horror unfold and something needs to be done. And we cannot just rely on those who are the executioners of this ongoing onslaught to be the ones to stop it,” she said.
TOP U.N. COURT ORDERS ISRAEL TO HALT MILITARY OFFENSIVE IN RAFAH, BUT ISRAEL IS UNLIKELY TO COMPLY
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The top United Nations court has ordered Israel to immediately halt its military offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah — but stopped short of ordering a full cease-fire.
Although Israel is unlikely to comply with Friday’s order, it will ratchet up the pressure on the increasingly isolated country. Criticism of Israel’s conduct in the war in Gaza has been growing, particularly on operations in Rafah.
It has even come from its closest ally, the United States. This week alone, three European countries announced they would recognize a Palestinian state, and the chief prosecutor for another U.N. court requested arrest warrants for Israeli leaders and Hamas officials.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also under heavy pressure at home to end the war.
While the ruling by the International Court of Justice is a blow to Israel’s international standing, the court does not have a police force to enforce its orders. In another case on its docket, Russia has so far ignored a 2022 order by the court to halt its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Currently:
— Israel’s army says the bodies of three more hostages killed on Oct. 7 were recovered overnight from Gaza.
— Top U.N. court orders Israel to halt military operation in Rafah; Israel is unlikely to comply.
— The Security Council will vote on resolution decrying attacks on the U.N. and aid workers, and demanding protection.
— Iran inters its late president at the holiest Shiite site in the nation after a fatal helicopter crash.
— More aid is getting from the U.S. pier to people in Gaza after a troubled launch.
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Gaza at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war.
