Doctors Without Borders says UN court’s ruling shows 'how catastrophic the situation is' in Gaza

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said Friday that an International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling that ordered Israel to halt its Rafah offensive and reopen the Rafah border crossing is more evidence of the dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.

"Today's decision by the International Court of Justice (#ICJ) ordering #Israel to halt its offensive on #Rafah in southern Gaza and to reopen the Rafah crossing is another confirmation of how catastrophic the situation is and of the desperate need for humanitarian aid to be scaled up immediately," the medical charity wrote on X.

Saying that they have been calling for an immediate and sustained cease-fire, MSF noted it is also warning about the "disastrous consequences" of the Rafah offensive since it was announced for the first time in February.

"We continue to call for an immediate and sustained ceasefire for all of Gaza, as it is the only way to stop the indiscriminate killing of civilians and allow for the substantial provision and delivery of aid on a meaningful scale, which is needed now more than ever throughout the Strip," it added.

On Friday, the top UN court, besides reaffirming its Jan. 26 and March 28 orders, told Israel to “immediately halt its military offensive, and any other action” in Rafah “which may inflict on the Palestinian group in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part.”

Israel has also been ordered to “maintain open the Rafah crossing for unhindered provision at scale of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance” and “take effective measures to ensure the unimpeded access to the Gaza Strip of any commission of inquiry, fact-finding mission or other investigative body mandated by competent organs of the United Nations to investigate allegations of genocide.”