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The UN top court on Friday ordered Israel to allow humanitarian access in Gaza, handing down a landmark decision in a case that has drawn global attention.
Israel must take “immediate and effective measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance to address the adverse conditions of life faced by Palestinians,” ruled the court in its highly anticipated verdict.
The ICJ further ruled that Israel must take “all measures within its power to prevent and punish the direct and public incitement to commit genocide.
At this stage, the ICJ was not considering whether Israel was actually committing genocide in Gaza — that process would take several years.
But the court warned Israel to “take all measures in its power to prevent” acts that could fall under the UN Genocide Convention, set up in 1948 as the world reeled from the horrors of the Nazi Holocaust.
South Africa’s bid at The Hague to compel Israel to stop its Gaza campaign in a landmark genocide case has found support across the developing world from Latin America to Southeast Asia.
Speaking to reporters on the steps of the gilded Peace Palace in The Hague, where the court sits, Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor said the measures were tantamount to a call for a ceasefire.
“How do you deliver humanitarian aid without a ceasefire? How do you provide water and access to energy? How do you ensure that those who are injured have healthcare and so on?” she said.
“Without a ceasefire, not one of these things can be done.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the charge against Israel “is not only false, but it also’s outrageous, and decent people everywhere should reject it”.
Israel stressed during the hearings that it was acting in self-defence after the Hamas attacks of October 7 and was doing all in its power to ease the plight of civilians.
While steps to help civilians “are to be encouraged, they are insufficient” to protect the rights of the Palestinians, the court ruled.
Outside the court, hundreds of protesters on both sides gathered, shouting slogans and waving banners.
Noyleyb, a 32-year-old pro-Israeli entrepreneur, who declined to give his last name, told AFP: “It’s crazy how the survivors of one genocide are being put on trial for committing a genocide.”
Pro-Palestinian demonstrator Nikita Shabazy, 48, told AFP: “It really breaks my heart that there is no ceasefire in place.”
President Cyril Ramaphosa will address the nation on the International Court of Justice order at 5 pm on Friday.
SABC will provide a feed to all media and PresidencyZA will live stream the proceedings.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has welcomed the ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the Gaza genocide case against Israel.
This comes after the United Nations (UN) top court ordered Israel to take steps to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza and do more to help Palestinian civilians, as Israel continues to wage war against Hamas militants.
In a landmark judgment, the ICJ determined that it was “plausible” that Israel has committed acts that violate the Genocide Convention.
“We have called Israel’s attacks on Gaza genocidal acts; acts for which Israel should and must be held accountable. Today the International Court of Justice has vindicated us,” President Ramaphosa said on Friday.
The country’s First Citizen was speaking to the nation in a televised address following the landmark ruling by the ICJ.
The war which began in October last year has already claimed more than 25 000 lives in Gaza, of which more than 16 000 of the dead are women and children.
The President cited the UN Children’s Fund, which labelled Gaza as a “graveyard for thousands of children”.
It is for this reason the President believes today’s judgment marks an important first step in the quest to secure justice for the people of Gaza.
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