DIRCO considering further ICJ action if Israel doesn't cease Gaza offensive
This stern warning comes in the wake of attacks on Rafah, where over 50 people have died since the early hours of Monday morning.
- Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO)
- Israel Hamas conflict
- International Court of Justice (ICJ)
A smoke plume erupts during Israeli bombardment over Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on 11 February 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Picture: SAID KHATIB / AFP
JOHANNESBURG - The International Relations Department (DIRCO) has warned that if Israel does not cease its ongoing offensive in Gaza, it will explore further legal action at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
This stern warning comes in the wake of attacks on Rafah, where over 50 people have died since the early hours of Monday morning.
The southern city on the border with Egypt is the last refuge for Palestinians fleeing Israel's relentless bombardment in its four-month-long war against Hamas.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told troops to prepare to enter the city that now hosts more than half of Gaza's total population.
DIRCO's Director-General Zane Dangor said that just weeks after the ICJ ordered Israel to take measures to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza, Tel Aviv continues to defy the ruling, which also requires it to allow humanitarian aid into the blockaded territory.
"This is exactly why we went to the ICJ to stop the killing. We saw this as an unfolding genocide and we thought we needed to use these institutions to prevent further killing. The safe areas that Palestinians are going to go to is the next area for mass destruction. We are hoping that either the security council intervenes in the next few days, if not, we may have to consider to ask for a provisional order from the ICJ but we're waiting for some advice from the legal team on that."
Dangor said that despite the interim ruling of the UN's top court, Tel Aviv had so far taken no steps to comply.
"We do see a situation where this idea of forced migration through creating unbearable living conditions is going to continue and it may spread from Gaza into the West Bank."