The UN International Court of Justice orders Israel to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza / Article

The decision of the UN International Court of Justice to order Israel to immediately provide humanitarian aid to the people of the Gaza Strip comes at the request of South Africa. This country claims that it has an obligation to prevent genocide against Palestinians because South Africa is a signatory to the 1948 UN Genocide Convention.

In response to the court’s decision, Israeli leadership has said they will continue to work with the UN to expand civilian access to humanitarian aid. Israel rejects any accusations that it interferes with the delivery of aid and blames the current situation on the terrorist group Hamas.

However, the UN high representative for human rights, Falker Turk, has announced a few days ago that Israel’s response to the “Hamas” attack is very brutal:

“It is absolutely clear that what Hamas and some other armed groups did on October 7 and 8 is simply unthinkable. They are blatant violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights. At the same time, the brutality of Israel’s attack and methods of warfare, including , if we look at the facts, we see that 32,000 people have been killed in a couple of months, of which approximately 70% are women and children, then the question arises about the proportionality of the response. All this together calls into question the observance of international humanitarian law on both sides.”

In an interview with the BBC, Turk added that there are suspicions that Israel is using hunger as a weapon of war against Hamas. If proven, it would amount to a war crime.

The decisions of the UN International Court of Justice are legally binding. However, the court does not have the tools to enforce them.

Only the UN Security Council can approve resolutions and monitor their implementation.

Recently, the UN Security Council approved for the first time a non-binding resolution calling for a ceasefire. Israeli officials sharply criticized the document, saying it would only embolden Hamas terrorists.

Although Israel rejects accusations of blocking humanitarian aid, the data from international organizations is clear. The World Food Program and other organizations warn of a catastrophic situation. They estimate that 2.2 million Gazans face acute food insecurity. If the situation continues like this, famine will begin in northern Gaza in May.

The UN International Court of Justice has found that Gaza is not only at risk of starvation, but that famine is already taking root in the territory, as at least 31 people, 27 of whom are children, have already died from lack of food and drinking water.

CONTEXT:

On October 7, 2023, “Hamas” carried out a massacre in Israel, murdering around 1,200 people, the absolute majority of whom were civilians. About 250 more people, including women, children and old people, were taken hostage by the terrorists and taken to the Gaza Strip.

Israel declared martial law in the country and launched extensive air and artillery strikes, as well as a ground operation against Hamas targets in the group’s controlled Gaza Strip, and stepped up military operations in the West Bank.

So far, more than 30,000 people, mostly women and children, have died in the Gaza Strip, according to data from the Hamas-run Health Ministry, and the UN has warned of the growing threat of famine there.