Israel ‘must comply' with ICJ ruling on Rafah: Amnesty

By Serdar Dincel

ISTANBUL (AA) - Amnesty International said Friday that Israel “must comply” with the International Court of Justice order calling it to immediately halt military operations in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip.

“With this order the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – the UN’s principal court – has made it crystal clear: the Israeli authorities must completely halt military operations in Rafah, as any ongoing military action could constitute an underlying act of genocide," a statement from the right group quoted its Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa Heba Morayef as saying.

"Unequivocally, the ground incursion and the associated mass forced displacement it has caused, pose further irreparable risk to the rights of the Palestinian people protected under the Genocide Convention and further threaten their physical destruction in whole or in part," Morayef added.

Emphasizing that "it is time for Israel and all states to act in line with their obligations in the Genocide Convention," he said Israel must stop military operations in the entire Gaza Strip including southern Rafah, and enable unhindered humanitarian access.

Earlier, the ICJ ordered Israel to halt its military offensive in Rafah, open the Rafah crossing, and allow access to international fact-finding missions.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023, despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in the enclave.

At least 35,800 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 80,200 others injured since last October following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas.

More than seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.