War in Gaza: UN’s highest court orders Israel to allow entry of food and medicine

The United Nations International Criminal Court (ICC) ordered Israel to enable the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza to prevent famine.

In a unanimous decision, the Hague-based UN’s highest judicial body said Israel must act “without delay” to allow “the provision of urgently needed basic humanitarian services and assistance”.

The call comes after warnings that Gaza could face famine within weeks.

israel branded “baseless” The allegation is that he is obstructing the arrival of aid.

The court’s latest ruling comes after South Africa sought to comply with an order issued to Israel in January to take all measures to stop genocidal acts in Gaza.

South Africa said that, as a signatory to the 1948 UN Genocide Convention, it had an obligation to act to prevent this from happening in Gaza.

The country is extremely critical of the Israeli military operation And the ruling African National Congress (ANC) has a long history of solidarity with the Palestinian cause.

Although orders issued by the CFI are legally binding, the court does not have the power to enforce them. The Security Council is the only UN body that can impose measures to ensure that,

TPI’s decision came after a report published last week by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), administered by the World Food Program and other platforms, warned of a situation that could worsen. “Devastating” Developing in Gaza.

according to the report, 2.2 million people in the belt are “facing high levels of severe food insecurity”. and it was predicted that famine would reach the north of the region before the end of May.

Famine occurs when a country becomes so short of food that its population faces severe malnutrition, starvation, or death.

In its decision, the ICC said that Gaza is “not only at risk of famine now” but “at increasing risk of famine” and according to UN observers, 31 people, including 27 children, have already died due to malnutrition and dehydration,

The court also highlighted the comments of Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, who said last week that “situations of hunger, starvation and famine” were the result of “extensive restrictions imposed by Israel on the distribution of humanitarian aid.” commercial goods, displacement of the majority of the population, as well as destruction of critical civilian infrastructure.”

Turk recently told BBC There was a “probable” case that Israel was using famine as a weapon of war in Gaza. And, if the intent is proven, it would amount to a war crime.

The ICC said Israel should “take, without delay, and in full cooperation with the United Nations, all necessary and effective measures to ensure the uninterrupted supply of urgently needed basic humanitarian services and assistance.”

The court said the most urgently needed assistance included food, water, electricity, fuel, shelter and clothing, as well as hygiene products and medical supplies.

In recent months, long queues of aid trucks have formed waiting to enter Gaza from Egypt Israel has been accused of carrying out complex and arbitrary inspections of shipments,

Israel accused of obstructing aid shipments “Completely baseless”,

In its response to the court order, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said it was working with the United Nations and others to “promote new initiatives to allow the continued flow of aid” to Gaza “by land, air and sea.” and continuing to expand existing initiatives.

He claimed that Hamas is responsible for the situation in Gaza To start a war.

He said Hamas has also seized most of the aid entering Gaza and accused the United Nations of not distributing what is left to the civilian population.

The current conflict began after the October 7 attack, when armed militias led by Hamas crossed the border into Israel, Killed approximately 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostage,

The fate of approximately 130 of those detained is unknown and at least 34 of these are presumed dead.

Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says at least 32,623 people have died in Israel’s retaliatory campaign. Earlier this month, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that the dead included, There are more than 25,000 women and children,

Despite a resolution passed by the UN Security Council earlier in the week calling for an immediate ceasefire, Israel has declared its intention to continue its mission to eliminate Hamas.

Israeli forces launched another raid against Gaza’s main hospital, Al Shifa Hospital, where thousands of displaced people were taking shelter.

Al Amal hospital in southern Gaza was taken out of service this week after Israeli troops forced doctors and patients to evacuate, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society reports.

There have also been repeated airstrikes on what Israel says are Hamas targets throughout Gaza.

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