RAFAH: In a historic ruling that will increase pressure on Israel that has been mounting for over seven months since the attack by Hamas on October 7, the top UN court ordered Israel Friday to stop its military operations in Rafah.
The international court of justice also called for immediate release of all hostages still being held by Palestinian militants hours after Israeli troops announced recovery of the bodies of three more from North Gaza.
The Hague-based court, whose orders are legally binding but lack direct enforcement mechanisms, also ordered Israel to keep open the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza which it closed earlier this month at the start of its assault on the city.
Ahead of separate meetings on the Gaza conflict later today in Paris between CIA chief and Israeli representatives versus French President Emmanuel Macron and foreign ministers from four key Arab states respectively, these orders have come.
In a highly-anticipated judgment, ICJ said Israel should “immediately halt its military offensive, and any other action in the Rafah governorate which may inflict on the Palestinian group in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part.”
Israel should “maintain open the Rafah crossing for unhindered provision at scale of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance” added UN court.
“The court finds it deeply troubling that many of these hostages remain in captivity and reiterates its call for their immediate and unconditional release,” it said.
There was no immediate reaction to the ruling from the Israeli government, which said only that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would discuss it with ministers shortly.
Israel had argued before the court that an order to stop military activity would give free rein to Hamas extremists and prevent its army from rescuing hostages taken in October 7 attack
But far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich posted on X that “history will judge those who stand today alongside Nazis Daesh Hamas.” The last was a reference to jihadists Islamic State group also known as Daesh.
Israel had argued before the court that an order to stop military activity would give free rein to Hamas extremists and prevent its army from rescuing hostages taken in October 7 attack
While welcoming the ruling, Hamas said it regretted that it was confined only to Rafah and not the entire Gaza Strip.
The court had stopped short of ordering a ceasefire in Gaza in an interim ruling in January but instructed Israel to do everything possible to prevent genocidal acts.
– Bodies recovered –
According to AFP tally based on Israeli official figures, over 1,170 people-mostly civilian-died after the war broke out on October 7 through Hamas’s unprecedented attacks.
In addition, there were 252 hostages of whom 121 are still inside Gaza and who include 37 who according to army sources have died.
At least 35,800 Gazan were killed by Israel retaliatory offensive most women and children according to territories health ministry run by Hamas.
The military in Israel claims that the three hostages whose bodies were found in north Gaza on Friday – Israeli national of Chanan Yablonka, Brazilian-Israeli Michael Nisenbaum and French-Mexican Orion Hernandez Radoux – were “executed” during the attack of October 7, and their bodies had been brought into Gaza.
Last week also saw the recovery of four other dead hostages from tunnels beneath Jabalia including his girlfriend Shani Louk.
There were overnight air and naval strikes in Gaza City, witnesses and AFP said, with an Al-Ahli hospital doctor and the civil defence saying at least five people had died when a house belonging to a family was hit in Al-Daraj neighborhood of the city.
This Palestinian security source told AFP there were “fierce battles” between Israeli forces and militants in both the town of Jabalia as well as its refugee camp while another source at Kamal Adwan hospital says it is “out of service, and has 14 medical Staff trapped inside”.
According to World Health Organization (WHO), these last two hospitals are both under fire in northern Gaza by Israeli forces: Al-Awda along with Kamal Adwan.
These organizations say that other facilities across Gaza are facing acute shortages of medical supplies alongside fueling power generators for instance UN as well as Palestinian officials.
Israel invaded Rafah late May after it had become the only city in Gaza where its ground troops ventured into despite opposition from international community hence over 800k individuals fled according to UN sources.
Moreover, troops occupied Egyptian side of Rafah border crossing further exacerbating already sporadic arrival of trucks carrying urgent relief supplies to support 2.4 million Gazans.
“Our fight will not end until all these people are freed,” says Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari who is speaking on behalf of Israeli’s military spokespersons; adding that Hamas have kept them hostage even if they live a life full disasters.
Paris truce talks
After the operation in Rafah, ceasefire talks mediated by the US, Egypt and Qatar ended, but this week suggested that “the war cabinet has asked our delegation to continue negotiations for return of hostages” according to an announcement from Netanyahu’s office.
On Friday or Saturday CIA chief Bill Burns is expected to meet with Israeli representatives in Paris to revive discussions, said a western source who is close to the issue.
Moreover later on at his residence in capital city Macron will also be joined there by France’s foreign minister plus top diplomats from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt as well as Qatar for deliberations on the situation.
According to reports in Axios news website located in US, Israeli negotiators have made some compromises compared with previous Cairo dialogue because of their new proposal.
Late Thursday Al-Qahera News which is linked with security services reported that “the Israeli position is still not sufficient for a truce”, this could mean that Israel may have rejected what had been presented by Hamas.
