Qatar, UAE hail world court’s order for Israel to cease its Rafah offensive

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) - Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on Friday welcomed the International Court of Justice (ICJ) order for Israel to halt its military offensive in Rafah, a city in the southern Gaza Strip where Tel Aviv sent forces in early May.

In a statement, Qatar's Foreign Ministry said the ICJ ruling "reflects the international community's categorical rejection of the war on the Gaza Strip."

It also "stressed the need for the Israeli authorities to fully commit to implementing all provisions of the decision, and to provide the ICJ with a comprehensive report on time."

The UAE's Foreign Ministry, for its part, stressed the “importance of reaching an immediate cease-fire, providing protection for civilians, preventing further loss of life, and stopping the escalation throughout the occupied Palestinian territory."

The statement also affirmed that the country will continue to work "with international partners now more than ever to intensify efforts to ensure the arrival and distribution of aid through all available means and methods."

Earlier, the ICJ reaffirmed its previous orders, and indicated further measures including an end to military operations in the southern city, maintaining the Rafah border crossing open and allowing access for investigators to the blockaded enclave.

ICJ President Nawaf Salam said the situation in Gaza had deteriorated since the court last ordered Israel to take steps to improve it.

Israel continued its brutal offensive on Gaza despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

More than 35,800 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, the vast majority being women and children, and nearly 80,300 others injured since October following an attack by 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.