In a statement published on its website, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) announced that the current humanitarian crisis in Rafah and the looming Israeli military operation there do not warrant the ordering of further provisional measures. The court’s communiqué notes that South Africa had sought additional provisional relief in light of the Rafah situation, where more than 1.4 million Palestinians are sheltering as they await the large-scale assault that Israel promised earlier this week. The ICJ emphasized that developments in Gaza, and Rafah in particular, would dramatically worsen what is already a dire humanitarian crisis with far-reaching regional consequences. The tribunal called for the immediate and effective implementation of the provisional measures outlined in its Order of January 26, 2024, applicable across the entire Gaza Strip, including Rafah. Last month, the Court had already ordered Israel to take all feasible steps to prevent acts described in Article II of the 1948 Genocide Convention during its ongoing war in Gaza, a directive that remains central to the Court’s public communications on this conflict, according to the statement. (Source: International Court of Justice)
