The Court of Justice rejected Israel's request to dismiss the lawsuit filed by South Africa (Al Jazeera)

On Thursday, the judges of the International Court of Justice unanimously ordered Israel to take all necessary and effective measures to ensure the entry of basic food supplies to the residents of the Gaza Strip without delay.

The court said, in a statement, that the Palestinians in Gaza face difficult living conditions in light of the spread of famine, and it also ordered Israel to take the necessary and effective measures to cooperate with the United Nations without delay.

The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, had revealed that Israel had informed them that it would no longer agree to send food convoys to the northern Gaza Strip, demanding that “these restrictions be lifted.”

In its statement, the court stressed that Israel must urgently provide basic services and humanitarian aid without hindrance on a large scale, increase the capacity and number of land crossing points into Gaza and keep them open for as long as necessary.

The International Court of Justice added that Israel must ensure that its army does not commit violations of the rights of Palestinians in Gaza, such as preventing the delivery of aid.

She indicated that Israel must submit a report to the court regarding the measures it will take within a month from today’s date.

Last January, the Court of Justice ordered Israel to take measures to prevent genocide in Gaza and direct incitement to it, without issuing a decision to stop the war on Gaza.

This comes after South Africa filed a lawsuit against Israel in court, accusing it of committing genocide against the Palestinians in the Gaza war.

Situations

Commenting on the court’s decision, the spokesperson for the South African team told the Al Jazeera Court of Justice that the new court order for Israel requires it to cooperate with the United Nations, and this includes cooperation with UNRWA.

He stressed that Israel would not comply with the court's orders, so its allies must put pressure on it.

In this context, the US State Department announced that it currently has no position on the International Court of Justice’s order for Israel to ensure that aid enters Gaza without obstacles.

Source: Al Jazeera + agencies