ICJ to hold hearings over extra emergency measures against ‘Israel’

The UN International Court of Justice (ICJ) revealed on Tuesday that it will begin hearings on South Africa’s request for sanctions against the Israeli occupation for its Rafah invasion on May 16-17.

According to the statement, on the 16th and 17th of May, the ICJ will hold public hearings at the Peace Palace in The Hague,” on the request filed by South Africa on 10 May 2024 for the indication of additional provisional measures and the modification of provisional measures previously prescribed by the Court in the case concerning Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel).”

Basim Naim, Hamas’ head of international affairs, told Sputnik that Egypt’s recent backing for South Africa’s ICJ lawsuit against “Israel” will encourage other Arab and Islamic nations to follow suit.

This in turn, he stated, will be reflected in the “image of Israel internationally and on the flexibility of Israel not to move freely around in the world.”

Amid its continued warmongering on the Strip, the Israeli occupation invaded Rafah despite international rejection. 

Farhan Haq, a spokesperson for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, cautioned during a news conference that an invasion of Rafah “would bring catastrophe on top of catastrophe,” particularly for the children residing there, as reported by Anadolu news agency.

South Africa requested on Friday that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) order the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from Rafah as part of measures to prevent genocide in Gaza in its ongoing lawsuit against “Israel”. 

The published ICJ filings revealed that South Africa asked the court to order “Israel’s” complete withdrawal from Rafah, the “last refuge” for Gazans, as well as the allowance of unrestricted access to UN officials, organizations, journalists, investigators, and humanitarian aid into Gaza. 

South Africa reiterated that “Israel” is killing Palestinian civilians while starving them by blocking humanitarian aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip. “Those who have survived so far are facing imminent death now, and an order from the Court is needed to ensure their survival,” South Africa said in its filing. 

It is worth noting that the ICJ failed to charge “Israel” with genocide, but imposed a set of anti-genocide measures the occupation blatantly neglected. 

US military families beg Biden to ‘hold ground’ on Rafah

Although the US does not have “boots on the ground” in Gaza, the safety and well-being of US troops are still directly impacted by the Rafah invasion, according to a letter by Sarah Streyder that was republished in Responsible Statecraft.

A spouse of a military member, Streyder is the executive director of the Secure Families Initiative, and, in the letter, she begs Joe Biden to “hold your ground regarding Rafah and demand an end to Israel’s current offensive there.”

She recalls how Biden previously called the invasion of Rafah a “red line”, citing the relief she and other US military families felt at the time. In addition, she points to the catastrophic repercussions of such an attack, which several human rights organizations have emphasized.

Biden is told that it is now time to “stand firm” in his beliefs as the occupation persists in its aggression against the Gaza Strip for the 220th consecutive day, committing massacres against civilians and escalating its deadly operations in Rafah.

Streyder notes that she “shudders” when thinking about what will come.

Although she notes that military families supported “Israel’s” initial onslaught on Gaza, she reports that in recent months, many have grown “appalled” by Benjamin Netanyahu’s conduct in the war, which has killed over 35,000 Palestinians and began a spiral of retaliation across the region.