The United Nations has ordered Israel to immediately halt its military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah as international pressure continues to increase on Israel over its war against Hamas.
“Israel must 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,” Judge Nawaf Salam, president of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), said on Friday.
Criticism of Israel's conduct in Gaza has been growing, particularly on operations in Rafah.
This week alone, three European countries announced they would recognize a Palestinian state, and the chief prosecutor for another U.N. court requested arrest warrants for Israeli leaders such as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, along with Hamas officials.
Israel began a limited ground offensive in Rafah on May 7, defying calls from the international community, including the United States, not to proceed.
According to CNN, more than a million Palestinians were taking shelter in Rafah before Israel started its operation, but the court noted that around 800,000 have since been displaced.
The Israeli military seized the city’s border crossing with Egypt, which has remained shut since. The crossing was considered a vital entry point for humanitarian aid coming into Gaza.
Israeli officials condemned the ICJ’s ruling.
Yair Lapid, leader of Israel’s opposition party Yesh Atid, released a statement, claiming, "The fact that the ICJ did not even directly connect the end of the military operation in Rafah to the release of the hostages and to Israel’s right to defend itself against terror is an abject moral failure."
Naftali Bennett, who was the 13th Prime Minister of Israel, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, "The International Court of Justice just provided every terror organization on earth with THE PERFECT METHOD TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER."
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Israel’s Deputy Attorney General for International Law, Gilad Noam, denied the allegations in his opening remarks at the ICJ last week and asked the court to “respect the predicament” Israel finds itself in.
Families of Israeli hostages held in the territory also put more pressure on Netanyahu to bring the captives home by releasing graphic footage of female members of the Israel Defense Forces before they were abducted.
United States President Joe Biden has called for Israel to push for a peace deal to be made, issuing an executive order preventing a number of weapons from being sent to the warring nation.