The International Court of Justice in The Hague delivered its ruling on Friday on the emergency measures requested by South Africa in its genocide case filed against Israel over its war on the Gaza Strip.
The court ordered Israel to take “all measures within its power” to prevent genocide in Gaza. It also demanded that Israel prevent and punish direct and public incitement to commit genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Under the ruling, Israel must also ensure the provision of urgently needed humanitarian assistance to Gaza.
When it filed its case at the ICJ last month, South Africa argued that Israel’s military actions in Gaza “are genocidal in character” and in breach of the 1948 UN Genocide Convention.
South Africa also asked the ICJ to order provisional measures until it issues a final ruling on the case, which could take years.
Among those measures were that Israel immediately halt its offensive on Gaza, which the ICJ stopped short of demanding on Friday.
South Africa’s government hailed Friday’s ruling as a “decisive victory” for the international rule of law.
The interim measures issued by the ICJ are legally binding and without possibility of appeal, but the court has no authority to enforce them.
Israel has rejected the allegations brought against it as “grossly distorted,” arguing that it has acted in self-defense following Hamas’ cross-border assault on Oct. 7 during which some 1,200 people were killed and over 240 others taken hostage.
In his first comments on the ruling, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the court’s “vile attempt” to deny Israel its right to self-defense, vowing to continue fighting Hamas.
The war in Gaza has killed more than 26,083 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured over 64,487 others, according to the latest data from the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza.
The relentless Israeli bombardment and stifling blockade have also led to a devastating humanitarian crisis. Gazans have no access to the most basic needs, including food, water and medication. Hospitals, places of worship and shelters have been repeatedly bombed. More than 1.7 million people have been forced into displacement, according to the United Nations.
Palestinians hail ICJ ruling
The Palestinian Authority welcomed the provisional measures ordered by the ICJ on Friday and expressed its gratitude to South Africa for filing its case against Israel.
Speaking at a press conference in The Hague shortly after the court issued its ruling, PA Minister of Foreign Affairs Riyad al-Malki said the order is a reminder that “no state is above the law” and that it “should serve as a wake-up call for Israel and actors who enabled its entrenched impunity.”
“States now have clear legal obligations to stop Israel’s genocidal war on the Palestinian people in Gaza and to make sure that they are not complicit,” he added.
Hamas also praised the ICJ’s decision. In a statement to Reuters, senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said the ruling is a major development that “contributes to isolating the occupation and exposing its crimes in Gaza.”
“We call for compelling the occupation to implement the court’s decisions,” he added.
Iran, which has backed Hamas’ Oct. 7 operation against Israel, congratulated South Africa on its “diplomatic success” at the ICJ.
“Today, the officials of the fake Israeli regime are the most hated people in the world’s public opinion, who must be brought to justice immediately for committing genocide and unprecedented war crimes against the Palestinians,” Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said in a post on X on Friday.
He also lashed out at the United States, saying that the public is fully aware of its support for what he described as the “crimes” of Israel against the Palestinian people.
Egypt’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement Friday, welcoming the court’s ruling. The ministry said that Egypt hoped the ICJ would have demanded an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, as the main guarantee for the implementation of the court’s provisional measures to protect Palestinian civilians.
Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979. But the Gaza war has strained the already fragile relations between both countries, as Cairo accuses Israel of a plan to relocate Gazans to the Sinai Peninsula.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has positioned himself as a champion of the Palestinian cause throughout his more than 20 years in power, also welcomed the ruling.
“We hope that the ruling, which is binding for states that ratified the Genocide Convention, will bring an end to Israeli attacks that indiscriminately target women, children and elderly,” he said in a post on the X platform.
“We will continue to closely follow the process in a bid to ensure that war crimes committed against innocent Palestinian civilians will not go unpunished,” he added.
Separately, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Turkey expects the ruling to be implemented fully and immediately.
“We believe the measures announced by the court present a very important opportunity to end the bloodshed in Palestine,” the statement added.
Oman also joined the chorus of support for the ICJ ruling. In a statement, the Omani Foreign Ministry welcomed the court’s decisions while calling for the immediate end of the “Israeli aggression” against the Gaza Strip and the rest of the Palestinian territories.
Oman further called on the international community to force Israel to “stop military operations and acts of genocide against the Palestinian people.”