Since the order of January 26, in which the judges of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) warned of a “ risk » of genocide and urged Israel not to commit genocidal acts, “the dire conditions in which Palestinians in the Gaza Strip live have further deteriorated,” write the judges of the highest court of the United Nations, in a new order issued Thursday March 28. Their decision follows a request from South Africa filed earlier this month in The Hague, the second procedure initiated by Pretoria before the ICJ after that of December 2023, which accused Israel of violating the convention on prevention and repression of the genocide.
The magistrates point out that since their first order, the Israeli operation has left more than 6,600 dead and nearly 11,000 additional injured. They observe that “Palestinians in Gaza no longer face the risk of famine alone, but of famine setting in”. Based on a joint report from UN agencies, the organization’s secretary general, Antonio Guterres, said on March 18 that “Palestinians in Gaza endure appalling levels of hunger and suffering.” M. Guterres denounced “a catastrophe entirely caused by man”.
However, on January 26, the judges ordered Israel not to commit genocidal acts, such as intentionally subjugating the Palestinians in Gaza. “ to conditions of existence which should lead to [leur] total or partial destruction ». The judges therefore again order Israel “to ensure, without delay and in cooperation with the UN, the provision of urgently required basic services and humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians in Gaza,” including water, food and electricity. To this end, write the judges, Israel must urgently increase “the capacity and number of land crossing points and keep them open as long as necessary”.
“A genocidal famine” for Pretoria
In response to Pretoria’s request which denounced “a genocidal famine”, Israel assured, in mid-March, of supporting Palestinian access to humanitarian aid by opening new means of maritime and air access to the Gaza Strip. But, for the judges, nothing can “replace Israel’s land access and entry points into Gaza to ensure the efficient and effective provision of food, water and medical and humanitarian assistance.”
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