The death toll from the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip surpassed 26,000 on Friday as the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to limit deaths and damage but stopped short of demanding a cease-fire in the Palestinian territory. The Health Ministry in Gaza said that 26,083 people have been killed and more than 64,400 wounded since Oct. 7, the day militants from the territory launched a surprise attack in southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages.
Quick Read
- Rising Death Toll in Gaza Conflict: Over 26,000 people have died in the Gaza Strip as a result of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
- ICJ Orders on Limiting Casualties: The International Court of Justice has directed Israel to minimize deaths and damage in Gaza but did not mandate a cease-fire.
- Genocide Accusations Against Israel: South Africa has accused Israel of genocide and appealed to the world court for interim measures against Israel’s offensive.
- Israel’s Denial of Genocide: Israel denies committing genocide and sought dismissal of the case, which was refused by the court.
- Substantial Civilian Impact: The Health Ministry in Gaza reports high civilian casualties, including women and children, since the war began on Oct. 7.
- Israeli Strikes on Refugee Camp: Israeli airstrikes in Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp resulted in the deaths of 15 Palestinians, including an infant.
- Judges Support Interim Actions: The International Court of Justice’s provisional measures received broad support from the panel of judges, including an Israeli judge.
- Court’s Orders to Israel: The court ordered Israel to avoid incitement and ensure humanitarian aid, aiming to protect civilians in Gaza.
- Israel’s Military Strategy Criticized: The court criticized Israel’s use of force in Gaza and the humanitarian impact of its military offensive.
- Continuation of Genocide Case: The International Court of Justice continues to deliberate on the genocide charges against Israel brought by South Africa.
The Associated Press has the story:
Gaza Health Ministry says Palestinians death toll surpasses 26,000
Newslooks- RAFAH, Gaza Strip —(AP)
The death toll from the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip surpassed 26,000 on Friday as the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to limit deaths and damage but stopped short of demanding a cease-fire in the Palestinian territory.
The Health Ministry in Gaza said that 26,083 people have been killed and more than 64,400 wounded since Oct. 7, the day militants from the territory launched a surprise attack in southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages.
South Africa has accused Israel of genocide and asked the world court in The Hague, Netherlands, to impose interim measures as the case proceeds. The requested measures included ordering Israel to stop its offensive, to allow Gaza residents access to aid and to take “reasonable measures” to prevent genocide.
Israel has denied committing genocide and asked the court to throw out the case, which the panel of 17 judges refused to do.
The number of Palestinians killed in Gaza since the start of the Israel-Hamas war has surpassed 26,000, the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Friday.
The ministry said the total number of dead is 26,083, with 64,487 Palestinians wounded since the start of the war on Oct. 7. The ministry does not differentiate between combatants and civilians in its death toll, but has said about two-thirds of those killed were women and children.
In the past 24 hours, 183 people were killed and 377 others were injured, ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qidra said in a statement.
Israel’s blistering ground and air offensive has decimated vast swaths of Gaza during the nearly 4-month-old war. The conflict broke out on Oct. 7 when Hamas militants stormed southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted some 250.
ISRAELI STRIKES ON A REFUGEE CAMP KILL 15 PALESTINIANS
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Fifteen Palestinians, including an infant, were killed in Israeli airstrikes on two apartment buildings in the central Gaza Strip, according to an Associated Press journalist who saw the bodies at a local hospital Friday.
The strikes hit the Nuseirat refugee camp on Thursday evening, and the dead were taken to the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Hospital in the nearby town of Deir al-Balah.
One of the bombardments killed seven members of the Rawah family, including a 5-month-old baby.
The strikes came as the Israeli army continued to expand its assault on the southern half of war-stricken Gaza, with a focus on Khan Younis, Gaza’s second-largest city.
The Israeli military said its troops were engaging in close, urban combat with Hamas fighters in neighborhoods of Khan Younis. The military says it is calling in airstrikes and attack helicopters to hit militants allegedly spotted with rocket-propelled grenades and other weapons.
Earlier this week,the military ordered civilians to evacuate most of the western half of the city and the Khan Younis refugee camp.
Hamas has reported that troops from the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the group’s military wing, are battling Israeli forces in the heart of the city.
CONTAINING CASUALTIES FROM ISRAEL’S OFFENSIVE GETS BROAD SUPPORT FROM TOP UN COURT JUDGES
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The six interim actions that the U.N.’s top court ordered Israel to take to reduce civilian casualties in Gaza received broad support among the 17 judges participating in the genocide case South Africa brought against Israel.
Many of the provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice on Friday were endorsed by an overwhelming majority of the panel, which included an Israeli judge who voted with the majority on several orders.
The Israeli judge, Aharon Barak, wrote in a separate opinion that “although I am convinced there is no plausibility of genocide,” he voted for two of the measures. He said he joined the majority in ordering Israel to refrain from public incitement “in the hope that the measure will help to decrease tensions and discourage damaging rhetoric.”
He said he voted for a measure about ensuring humanitarian aid in the hope that it “will alleviate the consequences of the armed conflict for the most vulnerable.”
During a one-hour reading of the court’s findings in The Hague, Netherlands, Israel was criticized time and again for its extraordinary use of force in Gaza, for top officials inciting the public in a way that dehumanized Palestinians, and for the tens of thousands of dead and wounded among the territory’s civilian population.
INTERNATIONAL COURT TELLS ISRAEL TO LIMIT DEATHS IN GAZA
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The International Court of Justice has ordered Israel to take steps to try to reduce further deaths and damage in the Gaza Strip but stopped short of demanding a stop to the blistering offensive that has decimated the Palestinian territory.
The court in The Hague, Netherlands, ordered a total of six provisional measures on Friday as it considers the genocide charges that South Africa brought against Israel. South Africa requested interim steps since the proceedings could take several years.
Court President Joan E. Donoghue said there were enough elements in South Africa’s arguments to continue the genocide case but that Israeli troops had to do much more in the meantime to protect Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
She said the court was “of the view that Israel must take measures within its power to prevent and punish the direct and public incitement to commit genocide.”
TOP UN COURT REFUSES TO THROW OUT GENOCIDE CASE AGAINST ISRAEL
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The United Nations’ top court has refused to throw out the genocide case that South Africa filed against Israel.
The International Court of Justice is not deciding Friday whether Israel has committed genocide in the Gaza Strip but only ruling on South Africa’s request for interim measures, including an order for Israel to halt its military offensive in Gaza.
While Israel asked the court to throw out the case, court president Joan E. Donoghue said a panel of 17 judges concluded that it has appropriate jurisdiction and therefore “cannot accede to Israel’s request for the case to be removed.”
Donoghue opened the hearing in The Hague, Netherlands, by noting that Israel’s war against Hamas “is causing massive civilian casualties, extensive destruction of civilian infrastructure and the displacement of the overwhelming majority of the population in Gaza.
“The court is acutely aware of the extent of the human tragedy that is unfolding in the region and is deeply concerned about the continuing loss of life and human suffering,” the judge said.
