On Thursday, the World Court issued a ruling ordering Israel to put an end to the famine in Gaza. The court demanded that Israel take immediate and effective actions to ensure that basic food supplies reach the Palestinians living in the region. This decision came after aid agencies reported that only a fifth of the required supplies were actually entering Gaza, which is a war-torn area.
In a unanimous ruling from the International Court of Justice, judges stated that Palestinians in Gaza were not just at risk of famine but that famine was already taking hold. They urged Israel to increase the capacity and number of land crossing points and keep them open for as long as necessary to facilitate the flow of goods.
South Africa had requested these new measures as part of their case accusing Israel of state-led genocide in Gaza. However, a senior Hamas official expressed disappointment in the ruling, stating that more needed to be done, such as ordering a ceasefire to end the suffering of the people in Gaza.
The UN Security Council had recently voted for an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages, with the United States abstaining from the vote. Despite Israel claiming to be making efforts to expand humanitarian aid access to Gaza, aid agencies and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have criticized insufficient efforts, with many trucks still blocked at the border. Israel’s foreign ministry did not immediately comment on the World Court ruling.
