South Africa Urges ICJ to Order Israeli Withdrawal from Gaza's Rafah
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – South Africa has appealed to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to mandate Israel's withdrawal from Rafah as part of additional emergency measures over the war in Gaza, the UN's principal legal body stated.
In an ongoing lawsuit brought by South Africa, accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians, the ICJ previously directed Israel in January to abstain from any actions potentially constituting genocide and to ensure its forces refrain from genocidal acts against Palestinians.
In documents unveiled on Friday, South Africa is pursuing further urgent measures due to the persistent military operations in Rafah, which it designates as the "last sanctuary" for Gazan Palestinians.
The southern Gaza city shelters hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians enduring harsh conditions, with warnings of an Israeli ground incursion triggering a humanitarian disaster.
South Africa's plea contends that Israel's operations in Rafah jeopardize humanitarian aid and essential services into Gaza, the Palestinian medical infrastructure, and the survival of Gazans as a community, according to a statement from the UN court.
“Those who have survived so far are facing imminent death now, and an order from the Court is needed to ensure their survival,” stated South Africa's submission.
South Africa additionally requested the court to mandate Israel to grant unrestricted entry to Gaza for UN personnel, humanitarian organizations, journalists, and investigators.
Israel's 401st Brigade entered the Rafah crossing on Tuesday, following the acceptance by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas of an Egyptian-Qatari mediated ceasefire proposal. Israel, however, maintained that the proposal did not address its core demands.
Tanks and aircraft targeted several areas and at least four residences in Rafah overnight, resulting in the deaths of 20 Palestinians and numerous injuries, as reported by Palestinian health authorities.
According to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), approximately 110,000 Palestinians have fled Rafah in recent days. The UN also highlighted the Israeli army's control of the Rafah border crossing, impeding aid entry into Gaza for the past three days.
Since October 7, Israeli assaults on Gaza have claimed the lives of at least 34,943 people and wounded 78,572 others.
South Africa brought a case against Israel to the ICJ in January, accusing the country of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
The top UN court has ruled that there was a plausible risk of genocide in the enclave and ordered Israel to take a series of provisional measures, including preventing any genocidal acts from taking place.
The court rejected a second South African application for emergency measures made in March over Israel’s threat to attack Rafah.
The ICJ, also known as the World Court, generally rules within a few weeks on requests for emergency measures. It will likely take years before the court will rule on the merits of the case. While the ICJ’s rulings are binding and without appeal the court has no way to enforce them.