By Mohamed Majid
GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - Palestinian resistance movement Hamas welcomed on Friday the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling that ordered Israel to immediately halt its military operations in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip.
“We welcome the ruling of the court which ordered Israel to halt its aggression on the city of Rafah immediately and all measures that lead to genocide,” the group said in a statement.
It, however, voiced its disappointment that the ruling did not extend to the entire Gaza Strip. “We expected the ICJ to issue a ruling to halt the aggression and genocide against our people in the entire Gaza Strip, and not just in the Rafah,” the statement said.
In light of the latest ruling, Hamas also called upon the international community and UN to exert pressure on Israel to abide by the order.
Israel on May 6 launched a ground offensive in Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians had taken refuge from war that began last October. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) estimates that more than 800,000 people have since fled the city.
The ICJ order came a week after it was requested by South Africa as part of its case accusing Israel of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention in the conflict that has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians in Gaza, leveled much of the territory and led to conditions of famine.
*Writing by Mohammad Sio