This blog is now closing. We will be back later on with a fresh blog but for more, see our full updates on the Israel-Gaza war and the broader Middle East crisis.
Summary of the day so far
Here’s a recap of the latest developments:
At least 26,083 Palestinians have been killed and 64,487 have been injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since 7 October, according to the latest figures from the Gaza health ministry on Friday. Those figures include 183 Palestinians killed and 377 injured in the past 24 hours.
Vital medical services at Gaza’s largest functioning health facility have collapsed amid ongoing intense fighting and bombing in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, leaving people with no options to go for treatment, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has warned. Most of the staff at Nasser hospital, along with thousands of displaced people sheltering in the hospital, fled in the days leading up to the evacuation order by Israel Defense Forces (IDF), while the European Gaza hospital is “unreachable” for medical staff because its neighbouring areas are under evacuation order, it said. Nasser hospital in Khan Younis in southern Gaza has experienced a complete power outage, according to reports.
An oil tanker is on fire after being struck off the coast of Yemen after Houthi threats in the key shipping route continued despite UK and US strikes. The Houthis have claimed their naval forces carried out an operation targeting “the British oil tanker Marlin Luanda” in the Gulf of Aden, causing a fire to break out. Shipping data suggests the vessel sails under the flag of the Marshall Islands. In a statement, commodities group Trafigura said firefighting equipment on board was being deployed to control the flames and the safety of the crew is its “foremost priority”.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has said “intensive battles” continued to rage in the heart of the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, as it said dozens of Hamas targets were destroyed.
The UN’s international court of justice (ICJ) has ordered Israel to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. In an interim judgment delivered on Friday, the court stopped short of granting South Africa’s request to order an immediate ceasefire to the war. The ruling is not the final word from the court on whether Israel’s actions amount to genocide, but it provides a strong indication that the judges believe there is a credible risk to Palestinians under the genocide convention.
South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, has said he expects Israel to abide by the international court of justice’s ruling that it take measures to prevent genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. “Some have told us we should mind our own business … and yet it is very much our place as the people who know too well the pain of dispossession, discrimination, state sponsored violence,” Ramaphosa said in a televised address to the nation. South Africa hailed a “decisive victory” for international rule of law following the court’s ruling.
Israeli officials have accused the international court of justice of antisemitic bias and expressed dismay that the case was not thrown out altogether. Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said in response to the ruling that his country was committed to upholding international law, as well as defending its people. Yoav Gallant, Israel’s defence minister, who was cited by the court president for calling Palestinians “human animals” at the start of the Israeli offensive, said the court had gone “above and beyond” in granting South Africa’s “antisemitic” request.
Hamas has welcomed the international court of justice’s ruling on South Africa’s request to impose emergency measures against Israel over its war in Gaza. The Palestinian militant group also called on the international community to require Israel to implement the court’s decisions and stop what it called the continuing “genocide” against Palestinians. A senior Hamas official called for Israel to be forced to implement the court’s decisions. The Palestinian foreign ministry also welcomed orders by the ICJ, calling it an “important reminder that no state is above the law”.
The UN secretary general, António Guterres, has said he hopes Israel will comply with the international court of justice’s ruling in the case against Israel. In a statement from Stéphane Dujarric, the UN chief’s spokesperson, Guterres noted that decisions of the ICJ are binding and that he “trusts that all parties will duly comply with the Order from the Court.”
International reactions to the top UN court’s ruling were split along the lines of the war raging in the Palestinian territory. The ICJ ruling was welcomed by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Egypt and Spain. The EU said it expects Israel and Hamas to fully comply with the ICJ rulings. Germany’s foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, said Israel “must adhere” to the ruling but that Hamas also needs to release its remaining hostages. Iran’s foreign minister called for Israeli authorities to face justice. The US continues to believe that allegations of genocide against Israel are “unfounded”, a state department spokesperson said.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has launched an investigation into several employees accused of taking part in Hamas’s 7 October attacks in Israel, and has severed ties with those staff members, its head said on Friday. The US state department said it would provide no additional funding to the agency until the allegations were addressed.
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has denied Israel’s accusation that it is “colluding” with Hamas by ignoring Israeli evidence of the “military use” of hospitals in the Gaza Strip. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus that the claims, made by Israel’s ambassador to the UN on Thursday, could endanger its staff “who are risking their lives” on the ground in Gaza.
Joe Biden spoke on Friday with his Egyptian and Qatari counterparts ahead of a trip to Europe by the CIA director, William Burns, to seek a deal to secure the release of more hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Burns and his Israeli counterpart, Mossad head David Barnea, will meet Qatari officials in coming days for talks on a second potential Gaza hostage deal and pause in fighting, according to reports. The US and Israeli intelligence chiefs have previously met Qatari and Egyptian officials, helping to broker a short-lived truce in November that saw more than 100 hostages freed. Burns’ trip comes after a visit to the region by White House senior envoy Brett McGurk this week. The White House said however that there are no “imminent developments” on an agreement over a hostage release.
Hamas has released a video showing three Israeli women held hostage in Gaza. Two of the women in the video said they were Israeli soldiers, Daniela Gilboa, 19, and Karina Ariev, 19. A third, Doron Steinbrecher, 33, said she was a civilian.
The Palestinian photojournalist Motaz Azaiza, a key chronicler of the war in Gaza, has been evacuated from the strip and found refuge in Qatar. “I had to evacuate for a lot of reasons … I left with a broken heart,” Azaiza wrote. At least 76 journalists have been killed in Gaza in the three-month-old war, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
Nasser hospital in Khan Younis in southern Gaza has experienced a complete power outage, according to reports.
The hospital, one of only two in the southern half of Gaza that can still treat critically ill patients, is completely without power, Al Jazeera is reporting.
Gaza no longer has a healthcare system, warns MSF
Vital medical services at Gaza’s largest functioning health facility have collapsed amid ongoing intense fighting and bombing in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, leaving people with no options to go for treatment, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has warned.
Most of the staff at Nasser hospital, along with thousands of displaced people sheltering in the hospital, fled in the days leading up to the evacuation order by Israel Defense Forces (IDF), MSF said in a statement today.
It said the hospital’s surgical capacity is “almost nonexistent” while the “handful” of medical staff who remain must contend with “very low supplies that are insufficient to handle mass casualty events”.
Between 300 and 350 patients remain at Nasser hospital, it said, noting that they were unable to evacuate because “it is too dangerous and there are no ambulances”. It said at least one patient had died on Wednesday because there was no orthopaedic surgeon available.
Meanwhile, the European Gaza hospital, the second biggest facility in southern Gaza, is “unreachable” for medical staff and people because its neighbouring areas are under evacuation order, it said.
Guillemette Thomas, MSF medical coordinator in Palestine, said:
People’s lives are at risk because of the lack of medical care. With Nasser and European Gaza Hospital almost inaccessible, there is no longer a healthcare system in Gaza.
Updated
Chinese officials have asked their Iranian counterparts to help rein in attacks on ships in the Red Sea by the Iran-backed Houthis, or else risk harming business relations with Beijing, according to a report.
An Iranian official briefed on the talks between Beijing and Tehran told Reuters:
Basically, China says: ‘If our interests are harmed in any way, it will impact our business with Tehran. So tell the Houthis to show restraint’.
The Chinese officials did not make any specific comments or threats about how Beijing’s trading relationship with Iran could be affected if its interests were damaged by Houthi attacks, Iranian sources told the news agency.
The Houthi attacks, which the group say are in support of Palestinians in Gaza, have raised the cost of shipping and insurance by disrupting a key trade route between Asia and Europe used widely by ships from China.
Beijing had made it clear it would be disappointed with Tehran if any vessels linked to China were hit, or if its interests were affected in any way, the sources said.
But while China was important to Iran, Tehran also had proxies in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq, besides the Houthis in Yemen, and its regional alliances and priorities played a major role in its decision making, one of the Iranian sources said.
IDF says 'intensive' battles continue in Khan Younis
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has said “intensive battles” continued to rage in the heart of the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, as it said dozens of Hamas targets were destroyed.
In an update this morning, the IDF said it had discovered about 200 tunnel shafts in Khan Younis and more than 130 Hamas military infrastructures.
Among the targets hit by Israeli fighter jets on Friday morning were “terror targets” that included operational centres, weapons storage facilities, observation posts, and meeting points used by Hamas militants, it said.
Residents of Khan Younis reported gun battles raging overnight, with Israeli forces blowing up buildings and houses in the western part of the city.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported on Thursday that Israeli units had bombed and shelled the area around the al-Amal hospital in Khan Younis, and that rescue workers could no longer reach it.
Most of the Gaza Strip’s 2.3m population have been forced to squeeze into Khan Younis and its nearby towns, after being driven out of northern Gaza earlier in Israel’s military campaign.
In seeking a provisional order from the international court of justice restraining Israel from committing potentially genocidal acts in Gaza, South Africa put not just Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in the dock but also the whole post-second world war rules-based order, including the authority of the ICJ itself.
Never has there been such a high-profile case brought in the middle of such a bloody conflict, and rarely have so many staked so much on the outcome.
In the words of the Irish barrister Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh, who set out part of South’s Africa case to the court, “the imminent risk of death, harm and destruction that Palestinians in Gaza face today, and that they risk every day during the pendency of these proceedings, on any view justifies – indeed compels – the indication of provisional measures.
Some might say that the very reputation of international law – its ability and willingness to bind and to protect all peoples equally – hangs in the balance.
Extraordinarily, the court did not shirk from what it regarded as its responsibilities. It did not order a full ceasefire but it granted protective orders, including an end to the killing of Palestinians in Gaza, that went further than many international law experts were predicting.
The ruling is devastating for Israel and awkward for politicians such as the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, who said the case was meritless, and the UK foreign secretary, David Cameron, who urged South Africa not to bandy around words such as genocide.
The highest court in the world, the apex of the United Nations, has found there is a plausible risk that Palestinians’ right to be protected from a genocide are under threat from Israel’s actions. The irony of this is self-evident. The concepts of “crimes against humanity” and “genocide” were created by a Jewish law professor, Raphael Lemkin.
For Israel, a nation in part born in 1948 from the horrors of the Holocaust and centuries of persecution, this could be a moment for reflection. Its whole national identity is intertwined with the Holocaust, just as South’s Africa’s is indivisible from apartheid.
Read the full analysis here: ICJ’s Gaza decision shores up rules-based order and puts west to test
The US is working to facilitate another deal on the release of hostages held in Gaza, but there are no “imminent developments” on an agreement, the White House has said.
The White House’s national security spokesperson, John Kirby, speaking amid a flurry of diplomatic efforts to reach a deal on the release of hostages, said:
We’re hopeful about the progress, but I do not expect … any imminent developments.
Updated
UN chief 'trusts Israel will comply' with ICJ ruling
The UN secretary general, António Guterres, has said he hopes Israel will comply with the international court of justice’s ruling in the case against Israel.
In a statement from Stéphane Dujarric, the UN chief’s spokesperson, Guterres noted that decisions of the ICJ are binding and that he “trusts that all parties will duly comply with the Order from the Court.”
In a separate statement, the UN chief said he was “horrified” by the “serious” allegations implicating several staff members at the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in the Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October.
Guterres has asked UNRWA commissioner general, Philippe Lazzarini, to investigate the allegations and to ensure that any employee shown to have participated or abetted in the attacks be “terminated immediately and referred for potential criminal prosecution. “
Argentina’s new president, Javier Milei, has announced plans to visit Israel as he signalled support for its ongoing conflict with Hamas in Gaza.
Milei, in a speech during a Holocaust remembrance event in Buenos Aires, said he would travel to Israel “in the coming weeks”, one of his first overseas trips since he took office last month. He said:
In the coming weeks I will be traveling to the Holy Land in what will constitute a new chapter in the brotherhood between our two nations.
Argentina would “not remain silent in the face of Hamas terror”, he said, as he condemned the “atrocious and unforgivable” attacks by Hamas on Israel on 7 October.
Eleven Argentines are among the civilian hostages held by Hamas, he said.
Argentina’s Jewish community is one of the largest in Latin America and before taking office in December, Milei said he intended to convert to Judaism.
UK must respect ICJ ruling and immediately stop arms sales to Israel, says Oxfam
Oxfam has welcomed the international court of justice’s ruling in South Africa’s case against Israel, describing it as a “crucial step” towards “recognising the ongoing atrocities” in Gaza.
In a statement, Oxfam urged the UK government to “respect the court ruling, and cease its complicity in the crisis, starting by immediately stopping arms sales to Israel given the risk of them being used to commit war crimes and calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire.”
“Anything less will be a stain on the UK’s reputation as an upholder of international law,” it said. The statement continues:
Palestinians should not have to endure another day of this suffering. We urge the UK and all countries to do all in their power to ensure those responsible for violations on both sides are held accountable, to secure the release of all hostages and detainees, and to end Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestinian territory.
Joe Biden spoke on Friday with his Egyptian and Qatari counterparts ahead of a trip to Europe by CIA director William Burns to seek a deal to secure the release of more hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, the Associated Press reports.
National security council spokesperson John Kirby told a White House press briefing that Biden spoke with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and Qatar’s ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani. He added that while talks have been constructive, “we should not expect any imminent developments,” adding:
We continue to do everything we can to facilitate another hostage deal, just as we did in November.
CIA Director Burns is slated to soon meet in Europe with David Barnea, the head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, Qatari prime minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel, according to three people familiar with the matter who insisted on anonymity to discuss the sensitive talks.
The meeting will focus on the release of hostages in exchange for a pause in hostilities. The Biden administration’s hope is that an agreement could lead to an extended ceasefire that could eventually bring an end to the conflict, according to a US. official.
The CIA and the White House national security council declined to comment on the meeting.
Burns’ trip comes after a visit to the Mideast by White House senior envoy Brett McGurk this week focused on winning the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza.
McGurk has also been laying the groundwork for another trip to the region by the US secretary of state Antony Blinken, who next week could make his fifth trip to the Middle East since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October.
Vessel on fire after Houthi missile attack in Gulf of Aden, says firm
The Singapore-based commodities company Trafigura has confirmed one of its vessels is on fire in the Gulf of Aden following a missile strike by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
In a statement Friday reported by Bloomberg News, the company said the Marlin Luanda was carrying a consignment of flammable petroleum naptha fuel used in the production of gasoline and plastics. It added military help was on the way:
Firefighting equipment on board is being deployed to suppress and control the fire caused in one cargo tank on the starboard side.
We remain in contact with the vessel and are monitoring the situation carefully. Military ships in the region are underway to provide assistance.
Updated
Britain’s opposition Labour party is urging Israel to comply fully with the orders of the International Court of Justice’s ruling on the war in Gaza.
The shadow foreign secretary, David Lammy, called for an “end to extremist rhetoric” and Israel’s adherence to the “urgent provisional measures” set out in the interim decision, the UK Press Association reported.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) stopped short of ordering a ceasefire in Gaza but demanded Israel attempted to try to contain death and damage in its military offensive.
Lammy said:
The interim ruling under the Genocide Convention on the situation in Gaza is a profoundly serious moment. Labour has been clear throughout the conflict that international law must be upheld, that the independence of international courts must be respected, and that all sides must be accountable for their actions.
The ICJ’s interim ruling… sets out urgent provisional measures that must be followed. Israel must now comply with the orders in this ruling in full.
The ICJ’s measures align closely with Labour’s longstanding calls for the protection of civilians, urgent humanitarian relief in Gaza and an end to extremist rhetoric. We will press for these orders to be implemented, alongside an immediate humanitarian truce and a sustainable ceasefire.
David Cameron, the UK foreign secretary, was concluding a visit to the Middle East on Friday, having pushed the Israeli government on a two-state solution to the Middle East crisis and called for urgent humanitarian pauses in Israel’s military operations.
Houthis claim attack on 'British oil tanker'
Yemen’s Houthi militants say their naval forces carried out an operation targeting a vessel they identified as “the British oil tanker Marlin Luanda” in the Gulf of Aden on Friday, Reuters is reporting.
They used “a number of appropriate naval missiles, the strike was direct,” the Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement.
According to the website marinetraffic.com, Marlin Luanda is an oil tanker registered in the Marshall Islands, and is currently on a voyage between the Greek port of Lakonikos and Singapore. The vessel has no known connection to Britain.
British maritime security firm Ambrey earlier reported that a fire broke out on a merchant vessel travelling through the Gulf of Aden after it was hit with a “missile”. The crew was reported safe, Ambrey added.
UKMTO WARNING 021/JAN/2024 UPDATE 001https://t.co/zHGNgQp1UB#MaritimeSecurity #MarSec pic.twitter.com/yjn7AMws1T
— United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) (@UK_MTO) January 26, 2024
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said it had received a report of an incident 60 nautical miles south east of Yemen’s Aden, in which a vessel was on fire and “requiring assistance”. It was not immediately clear if it was referring to the same episode.
Separately, a US Navy warship shot down a missile fired towards it from Yemen on Friday, AFP reports.
“Iranian-backed Houthi militants fired one anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward [the] Arleigh-Burke class destroyer USS Carney in the Gulf of Aden,” the US Central Command said in a statement.
“The missile was successfully shot down by USS Carney. There were no injuries or damage reported.”
Germany’s state broadcaster ARD has accused Israel of preventing two of its Palestinians workers from leaving Gaza, where they fear for their lives.
The outlet said it had been pushing for two of its long-term Palestinian workers to be able to leave Gaza for more than two months, with support from the German government, Reuters reported.
Israel has so far refused, citing security concerns, it said.
One of its employees, Mohammed Abusaif, had already been evacuated eight times since the beginning of the Israeli offensive and was now living in a tent in the southern town of Rafah, ARD said, adding that he was both worried about the Israeli strikes and about reprisals from Hamas.
“This does not make sense because they would not even be stepping onto Israeli soil,” said ARD senior editor Christian Nitsche.
These colleagues are no security risk, and we call therefore on the Israeli authorities, on the government, to let our colleagues leave.
The German foreign ministry, in a social media post, said it shared ARD’s concerns about their local staff and would continue to push for them to be able to leave.
Updated
Here are some of the latest images we have received from the newswires from Gaza.
Summary of the day so far
Here’s a recap of the latest developments:
At least 26,083 Palestinians have been killed and 64,487 have been injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since 7 October, according to the latest figures from the Gaza health ministry on Friday. Those figures include 183 Palestinians killed and 377 injured in the past 24 hours.
The UN’s international court of justice (ICJ) has ordered Israel to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. In an interim judgment delivered on Friday, the court stopped short of granting South Africa’s request to order an immediate ceasefire to the war. The ruling is not the final word from the court on whether Israel’s actions amount to genocide, but it provides a strong indication that the judges believe there is a credible risk to Palestinians under the genocide convention.
South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, has said he expects Israel to abide by the international court of justice’s ruling that it take measures to prevent genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. “Some have told us we should mind our own business … and yet it is very much our place as the people who know too well the pain of dispossession, discrimination, state sponsored violence,” Ramaphosa said in a televised address to the nation. South Africa hailed a “decisive victory” for international rule of law following the court’s ruling.
Israeli officials have accused the international court of justice of antisemitic bias and expressed dismay that the case was not thrown out altogether. Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said in response to the ruling that his country was committed to upholding international law, as well as defending its people. Yoav Gallant, Israel’s defence minister, who was cited by the court president for calling Palestinians “human animals” at the start of the Israeli offensive, said the court had gone “above and beyond” in granting South Africa’s “antisemitic” request.
Hamas has welcomed the international court of justice’s ruling on South Africa’s request to impose emergency measures against Israel over its war in Gaza. The Palestinian militant group also called on the international community to require Israel to implement the court’s decisions and stop what it called the continuing “genocide” against Palestinians. A senior Hamas official called for Israel to be forced to implement the court’s decisions. The Palestinian foreign ministry also welcomed orders by the ICJ, calling it an “important reminder that no state is above the law”.
International reactions to the top UN court’s ruling were split along the lines of the war raging in the Palestinian territory. The ICJ ruling was welcomed by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Egypt and Spain. The EU said it expects Israel and Hamas to fully comply with the ICJ rulings. Germany’s foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, said Israel “must adhere” to the ruling but that Hamas also needs to release its remaining hostages. Iran’s foreign minister called for Israeli authorities to face justice. The US continues to believe that allegations of genocide against Israel are “unfounded”, a state department spokesperson said.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has launched an investigation into several employees accused of taking part in Hamas’s 7 October attacks in Israel, and has severed ties with those staff members, its head said on Friday. The US state department said it would provide no additional funding to the agency until the allegations were addressed.
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has denied Israel’s accusation that it is “colluding” with Hamas by ignoring Israeli evidence of the “military use” of hospitals in the Gaza Strip. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus that the claims, made by Israel’s ambassador to the UN on Thursday, could endanger its staff “who are risking their lives” on the ground in Gaza.
Hamas has released a video showing three Israeli women held hostage in Gaza. Two of the women in the video said they were Israeli soldiers, Daniela Gilboa, 19, and Karina Ariev, 19. A third, Doron Steinbrecher, 33, said she was a civilian.
A fire broke out on a merchant vessel travelling through the Gulf of Aden after it was hit with a “missile”, according to British maritime security firm Ambrey. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it had received a report of an incident 60 nautical miles south east of Yemen’s port of Aden. In a separate incident, the (UKMTO) said it had received a report of two missiles exploding in waters near a ship off Aden.
The director of the Central Intelligence Agency and his Israeli counterpart will meet Qatari officials in coming days for talks on a second potential Gaza hostage deal and pause in fighting, according to reports. The US and Israeli intelligence chiefs have previously met Qatari and Egyptian officials, helping to broker a short-lived truce in November that saw more than 100 hostages freed.
The Palestinian photojournalist Motaz Azaiza, a key chronicler of the war in Gaza, has been evacuated from the strip and found refuge in Qatar. “I had to evacuate for a lot of reasons … I left with a broken heart,” Azaiza wrote. At least 76 journalists have been killed in Gaza in the three-month-old war, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
Vessel on fire after 'missile' hit in Gulf of Aden – reports
A fire broke out on a merchant vessel travelling through the Gulf of Aden after it was hit with a “missile”, according to British maritime security firm Ambrey.
The crew were reported safe, Ambrey added in an advisory note, Reuters reported.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said it had received a report of an incident 60 nautical miles south east of Yemen’s Aden.
Authorities are investigating, it added. It is not clear if the two reports refer to the same incident.
UKMTO WARNING
— United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) (@UK_MTO) January 26, 2024
INCIDENT 021 - ATTACK
Warnings - 2024 (https://t.co/5An1YH0JyE)#MaritimeSecurity #MarSec pic.twitter.com/Ch4kdePae5
Updated
Italian police have ordered a series of pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Rome and Milan to be postponed to avoid clashing with international Holocaust remembrance day.
Rome’s prefecture said the march through the capital will have to be held “on another date, from 28 January”.
“The march must be moved to another date”, the police chief’s office said. A similar decision was taken in the northern city of Milan.
While Palestinians expressed disappointment that the panel of 17 judges did not issue a binding order to stop the hostilities in the three-month-old war, the ruling still carries significant legal ramifications that could amplify international political pressure on Israel.
The West Bank-based Palestinian foreign minister, Riyad al-Maliki, said in a video statement that the ICJ order was “an important reminder that no state is above the law”, adding that the ruling “should serve as a wake-up call for Israel and actors who enabled its entrenched impunity”.
Daniel Machover, a co-founder of Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights, called the ruling “massive and historic”. He said:
The judges fell at the last hurdle by not ordering a ceasefire, since stopping further loss of life was the combined aim of the South African application … the court could have ordered Israel to use policing methods to protect from attack. However, there has now been an authoritative international ruling that there is a plausible risk of genocide in Gaza and states have a legal obligation now to act to prevent that. Those measures could include things like halting arms sales.
Israeli officials accuse ICJ of antisemitic bias
Israeli officials have accused the international court of justice of antisemitic bias and expressed dismay that a South African case alleging that the war in Gaza amounts to genocide was not thrown out altogether, after the court issued an emergency interim ruling.
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said in response to the ruling that his country was committed to upholding international law, as well as defending its people. He said in a statement:
The vile attempt to deny Israel this fundamental right [to self-defence] is blatant discrimination against the Jewish state, and it was justly rejected.
While Israel is often dismissive of the UN, alleging the international organisation is biased against it, it took the ICJ case very seriously, sending a robust legal team to The Hague that argued it had a right to defend itself after the 7 October Hamas attack.
Yoav Gallant, Israel’s defence minister, who was cited by the court president for calling Palestinians “human animals” at the start of the Israeli offensive, said:
The international court of justice went above and beyond, when it granted South Africa’s antisemitic request to discuss the claim of genocide in Gaza, and now refuses to reject the petition outright.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s far-right national security minister, tweeted:
This court does not seek justice, but rather the persecution of the Jewish people. Decisions that endanger the continued existence of the state of Israel must not be listened to. And we must continue defeating the enemy until complete victory.
Updated
Here is some more international reaction to the international court of justice’s interim ruling in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel.
Saudi Arabia welcomed the ruling and affirmed “its categorical rejection of the Israeli occupation’s practices and violations of the United Nations convention on genocide”, according to a statement from its foreign ministry.
Qatar also welcomed the ruling, its foreign ministry said.
Updated
South Africa’s justice minister has said Nelson Mandela “will be smiling in his grave” at the international court of justice ruling in Pretoria’s genocide case against Israel.
Ronald Lamola, speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of a gathering of the governing African National Congress (ANC) party outside Johannesburg, said:
It is a victory for the international law that there could be no exceptionalism in any part of the world and Israel cannot be exempt from complying with its international obligations.
Mandela declared in 1997 that “our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians”. The ANC had counted the Palestine Liberation Organisation as a close ally that had actively assisted in its work to free itself from the indignity and oppression of apartheid.
Updated
US says it still believes genocide allegations against Israel 'unfounded'
The US has said today’s ruling of the international court of justice was consistent with the Biden administration’s calls for Israel to minimise civilian harm, increase humanitarian assistance and address dehumanising rhetoric, a US state department spokesperson has said.
The spokesperson said:
We continue to believe that allegations of genocide are unfounded and note the court did not make a finding about genocide or call for a ceasefire in its ruling and that it called for the unconditional, immediate release of all hostages being held by Hamas.
Germany’s foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, has said Israel “must adhere” to the ruling by the international court of justice, but that Hamas also needs to release its remaining hostages.
“The international court of justice did not decide on the main issue, but ordered temporary measures in the interim legal protection proceedings,” she said, AP reported. She said:
But these are also binding under international law. Israel must adhere to this.
She added:
At the same time, the court made it clear that Israel’s actions in Gaza follow the barbaric terror of 7 October, and recalled that Hamas is also bound by international humanitarian law and must finally release all hostages.
We will support this with all our might, as well as the measure ordered by Israel to urgently allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Shortly after 10am local time on 11 January a hush descended over the ornate courtroom at the Peace Palace in The Hague as the judges of the international court of justice entered to hear South Africa’s case alleging genocide by Israel in Gaza.
Outside the court, protesters noisily made their feelings known and more than 1,800 miles away the bombardment of the Palestinian enclave continued, as the US president of the court, Joan Donoghue, began the formalities, opening the hearing into the war in Gaza.
Once the formalities were dispensed with it was then left to Vusimuzi Madonsela, South Africa’s ambassador to the Netherlands, to open the case, which pitted two countries with painful histories against each other. The delegations from each side included “some of the lucky ones who managed to get out of Gaza”, and relatives of Israelis taken hostage by Hamas.
The crux of South Africa’s case was that the proof was in the devastation wreaked upon Gaza by Israel in response to the Hamas attacks on 7 October 2023 in which militants killed about 1,200 Israelis, mainly civilians – plus the now parlous state of the Palestinian territory, and the words of Israel’s leaders.
The South African lawyer Adila Hassim told the court:
Genocides are never declared in advance but this court has the benefit of the past 13 weeks of evidence that shows incontrovertibly a pattern of conduct and related intention that justifies a plausible claim of genocidal acts.
Read the full report: How South Africa’s genocide case against Israel played out in The Hague
Updated
WHO chief denies Israel's 'harmful' claim that it is in 'collusion' with Hamas
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has denied Israel’s accusation that it is “colluding” with Hamas by ignoring Israeli evidence of the “military use” of hospitals in the Gaza Strip.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, posting to social media, warned that the claims are “harmful” and could endanger its staff “who are risking their lives” on the ground in Gaza. He added:
As a United Nations agency, WHO is impartial and is working for the health and well-being of all people.
WHO refutes Israel's accusation at the Executive Board meeting yesterday that WHO is in “collusion” with Hamas and is “turning a blind eye” to the suffering of hostages being held in Gaza. Such false claims are harmful and can endanger our staff who are risking their lives to…
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) January 26, 2024
On Thursday, Meirav Eilon Shahar, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, said Hamas was embedding itself in hospitals in Gaza and was using human shields in the Palestinian territory.
In “every single hospital that the IDF searched in Gaza, it found evidence of Hamas’ military use,” she said at a meeting of the UN health agency’s board. She said:
These are undeniable facts that WHO chooses to ignore time and time again. This is not incompetence; it is collusion. The WHO knew hostages were held in hospitals and that terrorists operated within. Even when presented with concrete evidence of what was happening below ground and above ground ... WHO chooses to turn a blind eye, jeopardising those they are meant to protect.
The Palestinian ambassador to the UN, Majed Bamya, has welcomed the international court of justice’s ruling.
Posting to social media, Bamya hit back at earlier “dismissive” statements by other countries on the ICJ case brought forward by South Africa, adding:
Not so « meritless » after all!
Earlier this month, the US national security council spokesperson John Kirby called South Africa’s lawsuit against Israel “meritless”, “counterproductive” and “completely without any basis in fact whatsoever”.
Not so « meritless » after all! Hope all the States that made dismissive statements on this case brought forward by South Africa against Israel on genocide finally stop bending the law and breaking its rule to fit Israeli crimes and atrocities against the Palestinian people…
— Ambassador Majed Bamya 🇵🇸 (@majedbamya) January 26, 2024
Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian ambassador to the UK, hailed the ruling as “a historic moment” on social media. He wrote:
It is a pivotal moment in the long journey towards justice and accountability, not only for the Palestinian people, but for all humanity, and for everyone striving for justice, rights and equal application of the rule of law.
Today’s ruling at the ICJ is a historic moment. It is a pivotal moment in the long journey towards justice and accountability, not only for the Palestinian people, but for all humanity, and for everyone striving for justice, rights and equal application of the rule of law. The… pic.twitter.com/oRupcFYcCs
— Husam Zomlot (@hzomlot) January 26, 2024
Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has welcomed the decision by the international court of justice, saying that he hoped it will halt attacks against civilians in Gaza.
“We hope that Israel’s attacks against women, children and the elderly will come to an end,” Erdoğan posted to social media, adding:
We will continue to work with all our strength and stand by our Palestinian brothers to establish a ceasefire and ensure the path to permanent peace.
Turkey’s foreign ministry said in a separate statement that it expected the ICJ decision to be “immediately and fully implemented by Israel”.
Updated
The Palestinian photojournalist Motaz Azaiza, a key chronicler of the war in Gaza, has been evacuated from the strip and found refuge in Qatar.
Azaiza, 24, who has 18.5 million Instagram followers, said in a video posted to the platform this week that he had been able to secure passage out of the blockaded coastal territory after documenting 108 days of the impact on civilians of the conflict between Hamas and Israel.
“This is the last time you will see me with this heavy, stinky [press] vest,” the freelancer said in an emotional video explaining his decision on Tuesday.
I decided to evacuate today … Hopefully soon I’ll come back and help to build Gaza again.
The journalist travelled to Egypt’s El Arish airport, 30 miles from the Gaza border, and was flown to Doha on a Qatari military jet, a journey he said was his first by plane. He wrote on Facebook:
I had to evacuate for a lot of reasons … I left with a broken heart.
Azaiza’s photographs and English-language videos rocketed in popularity after Hamas’s attack on Israel on 7 October that killed 1,140 people and Israel’s subsequent declaration of war in Gaza.
He has documented the aftermath of airstrikes, including an attack in Deir al-Balah that killed 15 members of his family, as well as the daily struggle for survival searching for food, water and medicine.
He also captured moments of respite, such as meal times and football games, and his candid reflections on the war and its physical and mental toll resonated with his audience around the world. GQ Middle East featured Aziza as its 2023 “man of the year” in November.
South African president says he expects Israel to abide by ICJ orders
South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, has said he expects Israel to abide by the international court of justice’s ruling that it take measures to prevent genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
South Africa has hailed a “decisive victory” for international rule of law after the ICJ ruled in favour of its request to impose emergency measures against Israel over its military operations in Gaza.
“Today, Israel stands before the international community, its crimes against the Palestinians laid bare,” Ramaphosa said in a televised address to the nation, adding:
We expect Israel as a self-proclaimed democracy and a state that respects the rule of law to abide by the measures handed down.
Ramaphosa and members of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party erupted in cheers as the UN court judges read the order, after the ANC national executive committee suspended a meeting to watch the broadcast from the court.
The court “has vindicated us”, the South African president said, adding:
Some have told us we should mind our own business and not get involved in the affairs of other countries and yet it is very much our place as the people who know too well the pain of dispossession, discrimination, state sponsored violence.
Hamas has released a video showing three Israeli women held hostage in Gaza.
Two of the women in the video said they were Israeli soldiers, Daniela Gilboa, 19, and Karina Ariev, 19. A third, Doron Steinbrecher, 33, said she was a civilian.
The women said they had spent 107 days in captivity, suggesting the video may have been filmed on Sunday.
The video was released shortly after the ICJ ruling ordering Israel do everything it can to prevent any acts of genocide in Gaza, and calling for the “immediate and unconditional release” of hostages who were taken by Hamas into Gaza during the 7 October attacks.
Updated
Hamas welcomes ICJ ruling
Hamas has welcome the international court of justice’s ruling on South Africa’s request to impose emergency measures against Israel over its war in Gaza.
The Palestinian militant group also called on the international community to require Israel to implement the court’s decisions and stop what it called the continuing “genocide” against Palestinians, Reuters reported.
Updated
The ruling by the international court of justice implies that Israel must halt fighting in Gaza, South Africa’s minister of international relations has said.
Naledi Pandor, speaking on the steps of the UN court in The Hague following the ruling, said:
How do you provide aid and water without a ceasefire? If you read the order, by implication a ceasefire must happen.
Updated
EU says it expects 'full and immediate' implementation of ICJ ruling
The European Union has said it expects Israel and Hamas to fully comply with the rulings of the international court of justice.
A statement by the Commission reads:
We take note of today’s order of the international court of justice on South Africa’s request for the indication of provisional measures.
The EU reaffirms its continuing support to the international court of justice, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations.
Orders of the international court of justice are binding on the parties and they must comply with them. The EU expects their full, immediate and effective implementation.
The right of each party to submit arguments in respect of jurisdiction, admissibility or the merits remains unaffected by the today’s decision on the South Africa’s request for the indication of provisional measures.
Updated
Egypt has welcomed the international court of justice’s ruling in a statement by its foreign ministry.
Egypt was “looking forward to the international court of justice demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, as the court ruled in similar cases”, it said, Reuters reported.
The statement also stressed the need to respect and implement the court’s decisions.
Updated
US pauses funding for UNRWA over 7 October attacks allegations
The US has temporarily paused funding for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) following allegations that several of its employees were involved in the 7 October Hamas attacks in southern Israel.
As we reported earlier, UNRWA commissioner general Philippe Lazzarini said Israeli authorities had provided the agency with information about the alleged involvement of its employees in the 7 October attacks.
A statement from the US state department spokesperson Matthew Miller reads:
The Department of State has temporarily paused additional funding for UNRWA while we review these allegations and the steps the United Nations is taking to address them.
Meanwhile, the EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said he was “extremely concerned” by the allegations and reiterated the “strongest condemnation” of the attacks by Hamas against Israel, adding:
We are in contact with UNRWA, expect it to provide full transparency on the allegations and to take immediate measures against staff involved. The commission will assess further steps and draw lessons based on the result of the full and comprehensive investigation.
Updated
Summary of the day so far
It’s 5.12pm in Gaza and Tel Aviv and 4.12pm in The Hague. We’ll be handing over to the US shortly to continue our coverage of the Middle East crisis, but first, here are some of the latest developments:
The ICJ on Friday ordered Israel to take measures to prevent and punish direct incitement of genocide in its war in Gaza. In a sweeping ruling, a large majority of the 17-judge panel of the ICJ in The Hague voted for urgent measures which covered most of what South Africa asked for, with the notable exception of ordering a halt to Israeli military action in Gaza. South Africa had asked the court for an immediate ceasefire.
Large opposing groups of pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian supporters gathered outside the ICJ in The Hague as the court’s interim ruling on South Africa’s allegation that the war in Gaza amounts to genocide against Palestinians was livestreamed on screens.
The Palestinian foreign ministry welcomed orders by the ICJ on Friday and called it an “important reminder that no state is above the law”. Riyad al-Maliki, the Palestinian foreign minister, said in a televised speech on Friday: “The ICJ judges assessed the facts and the law, they ruled in favour of humanity and international law.”
South Africa hailed what it called a “decisive victory” for the international rule of law on Friday, after the ICJ ruled in favour of its request to impose emergency measures against Israel over its military operations in Gaza.
The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, welcomed a decision by the ICJ on Friday not to order a ceasefire in the war in Gaza but rejected a charge of genocide as “outrageous”, and said it would continue to defend itself. He said: “But the mere claim that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians is not only false, it’s outrageous, and the willingness of the court to even discuss this is a disgrace that will not be erased for generations.”
Sami Abu Zuhri, a senior Hamas official, called for Israel to be forced to implement the ICJ’s decisions. He said the ICJ decision was an important development that contributes to isolating Israel and exposing its crimes in Gaza.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s security minister, responded to the ICJ ruling by tweeting: “Hague Shmague”. He was the first Israel official to comment after the court ended its reading.
Hossein Amirabdollahian, Iran’s foreign minister, called on Friday for Israeli authorities to face justice after the ICJ ordered Israel to take measures to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza.
Spain’s Socialist-led government has welcomed the ICJ’s decision and called on all parties to respect and comply with the court’s ruling.
Amnesty International called Friday’s interim ruling by the ICJ “extremely significant”. It stressed the need for the UK “to start taking the extremely grave issue of potential genocide against the Palestinian people seriously”.
The UN Palestinian agency (UNRWA) said on Friday it would investigate the alleged involvement of several of its employees in the 7 October attacks in southern Israel by Hamas, and that it had severed ties with these staff members.
The latest figures from the Gaza health ministry, which is run by Hamas, said 183 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes and 377 were injured in the past 24 hours.
The Israeli ambassador to the UN, Meirav Eilon Shahar, accused the World Health Organization (WHO) of “collusion” with Hamas by ignoring Israeli evidence of the “terrorist use” of hospitals in the Gaza Strip.
The British foreign secretary, David Cameron, said after a Middle East tour on Friday that progress had been made towards a deal to halt fighting in Gaza, bring in more aid and release Israeli hostages held there.
The Turkish foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, told his British counterpart, Cameron, during a meeting in Istanbul on Friday that an immediate ceasefire was needed in Gaza, Reuters reported, citing a Turkish diplomatic source.
Snipers around the vicinity of al-Amal hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, shot people as they tried to leave buildings, according to an Al Jazeera reporter. He said the hospital was under military siege.
The director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and his Israeli counterpart will meet Qatari officials in the coming days for talks on a second potential Gaza hostage deal and pause in fighting, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Thursday.
The Irish MEP Seán Kelly suggested on Friday that Netanyahu’s political motives had clouded his judgment on the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza. Kelly called Netanyahu’s recent comments on the future of Gaza “extremely concerning” and accused the Israeli prime minister of being “driven by his own personal interest”.
People were so desperate for food in Gaza that they were grinding up animal feed to use as flour, said the charity ActionAid. It warned that “famine is looming across the territory” and said hunger was reaching “catastrophic levels” in Gaza.
The US and Iraq said they would begin discussions on the future of US and other foreign troops in the country.
The British maritime security firm Ambrey said on Friday an explosion was seen approximately one nautical mile away from a Panama-flagged, India-affiliated crude and oil products tanker south-east of the Bab al-Mandab strait near Yemen, which connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Friday a vessel positioned approximately 60 nautical miles (nm) from Yemen’s city of Hodeidah reported an explosion heard and missiles sighted a few miles from its position.
The Israeli national airline El Al said on Friday it would scrap direct flights to South Africa after “a significant fall in demand by Israeli travellers” to the country and other destinations.
A drone attack on one of Iraq’s largest gas fields has led to a temporary suspension of production, resulting in major power cuts across the country’s northern Kurdistan region, officials said on Friday.
The volume of commercial traffic passing through the Suez Canal has fallen by more than 40% in the last two months after attacks by Yemen’s Houthis, according to the UN.
Updated
'Willingness' of the ICJ to discuss Israel genocide claim is a 'disgrace', says Netanyahu
The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, welcomed a decision by the ICJ on Friday not to order a ceasefire in the war in Gaza but rejected a charge of genocide as “outrageous”, and said it would continue to defend itself, reports the Associated Press (AP).
In a highly anticipated ruling, the ICJ ordered Israel to take action to prevent acts of genocide as it wages war against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, but it stopped short of calling for an immediate ceasefire.
Israel said it seeks to protect citizens in Gaza and also accuses Hamas of using Palestinians as human shields – an accusation that Hamas denies. Israel said it must have the right to defend itself after Hamas’s cross-border attack on 7 October that killed 1,200 people.
Responding to a case brought by South Africa at the ICJ in The Hague, Netanyahu said Israel’s commitment to international law was “unwavering”.
But he added in a statement: “Like every country, Israel has a basic right to defend itself … The ICJ in The Hague justly rejected the outrageous demand to deprive us of this right.” He appeared to be referring to the fact that the ICJ did not call for an immediate ceasefire in Hamas-run Gaza.
“But the mere claim that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians is not only false, it’s outrageous, and the willingness of the court to even discuss this is a disgrace that will not be erased for generations,” Netanyahu said.
Yoav Gallant, Israel’s defence minister said Israel did not need to be lectured on morality. In the days after the 7 October attack by Hamas, Gallant had said Israel would impose a total blockade on Gaza as part of a battle against “human animals”.
“The ICJ in The Hague went above and beyond, when it granted South Africa’s antisemitic request to discuss the claim of genocide in Gaza, and now refuses to reject the petition outright,” he said in a statement.
Updated
My colleague, the Guardian’s legal affairs correspondent Haroon Siddique has written on how the ICJ ordered Israel to ensure acts of genocide are not committed in Gaza but stopped short of granting South Africa’s request to order immediate ceasefire. You can read the article here:
The UN’s international court of justice has ordered Israel to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, in a historic decision.
In an interim judgment delivered on Friday, the president of the court, Joan Donoghue, said Israel must “take all measures within its its power” to prevent acts that fell within the scope of the genocide convention and must ensure “with immediate effect” that its forces do not commit any of the acts covered by the convention.
The court stopped short of granting South Africa’s request to order an immediate ceasefire to the war, which has destroyed much of the Gaza Strip and killed more than 25,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.
Israeli authorities 'must be brought to justice', says Iran's foreign minister
Hossein Amirabdollahian, Iran’s foreign minister called on Friday for Israeli authorities to face justice after the ICJ ordered Israel to take measures to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza, reports Reuters.
“Today, the authorities of the fake Israeli regime … must be brought to justice immediately for committing genocide and unprecedented war crimes against the Palestinians,” he said on X.
Updated
Karla McLaren, Amnesty International UK’s head of government affairs called today’s interim ruling by the ICJ in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel “extremely significant”.
“After being critical of this case for weeks, the UK now needs to start taking the extremely grave issue of potential genocide against the Palestinian people seriously,” she added.
Speaking on behalf of the international non-governmental organisation focused on human rights, McLaren said the UK had an “obligation” under the genocide convention to “take meaningful action to prevent the crime of genocide being committed”. She added “this must now become a reality”.
McLaren called for the UK to suspend its arms transfers to Israel, call for an immediate ceasefire and for Israel to end its 17-year-long blockade of Gaza, as well as fully supporting the ICJ case.
Updated
My colleague, the Guardian’s Madrid correspondent Sam Jones has the reaction from Spain to Friday’s ICJ ruling:
Spain’s socialist-led government has welcomed the ICJ’s decision and called on all parties to respect and comply with the court’s ruling.
“Spain once again reiterates its call for an immediate ceasefire, the unconditional release of the hostages, immediate and regular humanitarian access, and the need to move towards the implementation of the two-state solution,” the foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday afternoon.
Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has been outspoken in his appraisal of Israel’s military operations. While repeatedly condemning the 7 october terrorist attacks, Sánchez has said he has “genuine doubts” about whether Israel was complying with international humanitarian law in its offensive in Gaza.
During a visit to the Middle East last November with Belgium’s prime minister, Alexander De Croo, Sánchez said the number of dead Palestinians was “truly unbearable”, adding that the creation of a Palestinian state remained the best way to bring peace and security to the region.
ICJ ruling published – read in full
The 29-page document detailing the decision by the ICJ has been published. You can find it here [pdf].
READ HERE: the full text of the #ICJ Order indicating provisional measures in the case concerning Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (#SouthAfrica v. #Israel) https://t.co/hK7qZECsaO pic.twitter.com/1eOkfb4lhx
— CIJ_ICJ (@CIJ_ICJ) January 26, 2024
Updated
ICJ ruling is an 'important reminder that no state is above the law', says Palestinian foreign ministry
The Palestinian foreign ministry welcomed orders by the ICJ on Friday and called it an “important reminder that no state is above the law”, reports Reuters.
Riyad al-Maliki, the Palestinian foreign minister, said in a televised speech on Friday: “The ICJ judges assessed the facts and the law, they ruled in favor of humanity and international law.”
Maliki added that Palestine called on all states to ensure the measures ordered by the court are implemented “including by Israel, the occupying power”.
Updated
UNRWA investigating the alleged involvement of employees in 7 October attacks
The UN Palestinian agency (UNRWA) said on Friday it will investigate the alleged involvement of several of its employees in the 7 October attacks in southern Israel by Hamas, and that it had severed ties with these staff members, reports Reuters.
“The Israeli authorities have provided UNRWA with information about the alleged involvement of several UNRWA employees in the horrific attacks on Israel on 7 October,” said Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA commissioner-general.
“To protect the agency’s ability to deliver humanitarian assistance, I have taken the decision to immediately terminate the contracts of these staff members and launch an investigation in order to establish the truth without delay.”
Cheers erupted among pro-Palestine supporters who gathered outside the ICJ in The Hague when the court ruled that Israel must “take all measures within its power” to prevent all acts within the scope of the genocide convention.
But many voiced frustration that the top UN court had stopped short of ordering a ceasefire in Gaza.
“It is very good that the ICJ did not throw out the genocide case at Israel’s request but the courts orders to prevent genocide won’t be followed without a ceasefire. We can only hope now that humanitarian aid is allowed into Gaza,” said protester Joris Doting.
Updated
South Africa hails ICJ ruling as a 'decisive victory' for international rule of law
South Africa has hailed a “decisive victory” for international rule of law after the ICJ ruled in favour of its request to impose emergency measures against Israel over its military operations in Gaza.
It said it would continue to act within institutions of global governance to protect the rights of Palestinians in Gaza and thanked the court for its swift ruling.
“Today marks a decisive victory for international rule of law and a significant milestone in search of justice for Palestinian people,” the government said.
South Africa also said it sincerely hopes that Israel will not frustrate the application of the order.
Updated
Israel will continue to defend itself while adhering to international law, vows Netanyahu and says Israel is fighting a 'just war'
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu has reacted to the ICJ’s ruling. He said: “We will continue to defend ourselves and our citizens while adhering to international law.” He also said that “Israel is fighting a just war like no other”.
He added: “We will continue this war until absolute victory, until all hostages are returned and Gaza is no longer a threat to Israel.”
He also said the ICJ’s willingness to discuss genocide claims against Israel was “a disgrace that will not be erased for generations”.
Updated
Hamas official calls for Israel to be forced to implement the ICJ ruling
Sami Abu Zuhri, a senior Hamas official has told Reuters that the ICJ decision is an important development that contributes to isolating Israel and exposing its crimes in Gaza. He also called for Israel to be forced to implement the court’s decisions.
Updated
Israel’s security minister responds to ICJ ruling by tweeting 'Hague Shmague'
Itamar Ben-Gvir has responded to the ICJ ruling by tweeting: “Hague Shmague”. He was the first Israel official to comment after the court ended its reading.
The South African government said it welcomed the provisional measures the ICJ had ordered against Israel.
Updated
ICJ ruling does not explicitly order a ceasefire
The international court of justice has ordered Israel to take measures to prevent and punish the direct incitement of genocide in its war in Gaza.
In a sweeping ruling, a large majority of the court’s 17-judge panel voted for urgent measures which covered most of what South Africa asked for with the notable exception of ordering a halt to military action in Gaza. South Africa had asked the court for an immediate ceasefire
The court ordered Israel to refrain from any acts that could fall under the genocide convention and also ensure that its troops did not commit any genocidal acts in Gaza. It also ordered an improvement in the humanitarian situation.
Updated
ICJ orders Israel to take measures to prevent and punish direct incitement of genocide
Judge Donoghue has ordered Israel to take measures to prevent and punish the direct incitement of genocide. The ruling has created international legal obligations for Israel. She said all parties in the Gaza Strip are bound by international law. The ruling has also been read out in French.
Updated
The court has heard that Israel must ensure the preservation of evidence of alleged genocide. Judge Donoghue ordered Israel to report to the court within a month.
Updated
International court of justice orders Israel to prevent genocide in Gaza
Judge Donoghue says the court has decided that Israel must “take all measures within its its power” to prevent all acts within the scope of the genocide convention.
She says it must ensure “with immediate effect” that its forces do not commit any of the acts covered by the convention.
It must also take immediate measures to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, she says.
Updated
ICJ recognises right of Palestinians in Gaza to be protected from acts of genocide
Judge Donoghue, speaking now at the ICJ, said at least some rights sought by South Africa in its genocide case against Israel’s war in Gaza are plausible. She said: “A link exists between the rights claimed by South Africa that the court has found plausible and at least some of the provisional measures requested.”
With the reading still ongoing, the court said it recognises the right of Palestinians in Gaza to be protected from acts of genocide. Palestinians appear to be a protected group under the genocide convention, the court said.
Friday’s ruling at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) does not deal with the core accusation of the case – whether genocide occurred – but will focus on the urgent intervention sought by South Africa.
Judge Donoghue is detailing comments made by Israeli officials during the war, including:
The defence minister, Yoav Gallant, saying he had ordered a “complete siege” of Gaza City, that “we will eliminate everything” and that Israel was fighting “human animals”.
The president, Isaac Herzog, saying: “It’s an entire nation out there that is responsible.”
Updated
A bit of background on what “prima facie” means in this case from our explainer:
In order to gain any temporary measures on Friday, South Africa does not need to prove that genocide has taken place. All it needs to prove is that the court has jurisdiction at first glance, or “prima facie”, and that some of the acts it complains of – in this case including the death toll and forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza – could fall under the genocide convention.
ICJ rules it has jurisdiction over the genocide case
Judge Donoghue says the court concludes it has “prima facie” (or first glance) jurisdiction on this case, meaning it can continue.
ICJ rules it will not throw out genocide case at Israel's request
“The court considers that it cannot accede to Israel’s request that the case be removed from the general list,” Judge Joan E Donoghue says.
Updated
Large opposing groups of pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian supporters have gathered outside the international court of justice in The Hague as the court began its interim ruling on South Africa’s allegation that the war in Gaza amounts to genocide against Palestinians.
Police are ensuring that the pro-Israel march was kept away from a pro-Palestinian march.
Pro-Israel protesters were carrying Dutch and Israeli flags and pictures of people taken hostage by Hamas during the 7 October attack in Israel.
“We need all the hostages to come back immediately,” said Rafael, a pro-Israel supporter.
Updated
Judge Joan E Donoghue sits down and begins court order at the ICJ
Judge Joan E Donoghue has sat down in the ICJ and started the court order. She begins by laying out the Hamas attacks on the 7 October and how Israel responded. Donoghue mentions “massive casualties” and “extensive destruction” of infrastructure in Gaza. She also said it had resulted in “the displacement of the overwhelming majority of the population in Gaza.”
Updated
The legal teams representing Israel and South Africa have sat down. They are awaiting the arrival of Judge Joan E. Donoghue, the president of the court, who will read out the court order.
Our Russian affairs reporter, Pjotr Sauer, is at The Hague and will be bringing you updates from the ground throughout the afternoon.
British foreign secretary David Cameron said after a Middle East tour on Friday that progress has been made towards a deal to halt fighting in Gaza, bring in more aid and release Israeli hostages held there, Reuters reports.
In an interview in Istanbul, his last stop on the tour, Cameron said that Israel is considering a British proposal to open its Ashdod port to aid shipments to Gaza but that it would “take a lot of pushing” to reach an agreement.
“Achieving a pause where we stop the fighting and start looking at how to get aid in and hostages out, I think there is a prospect of that,” Cameron told Reuters and a Turkish broadcaster.
“That’s what I’ve been in the region talking about. And I think we are making some progress.”
About 200 Palestinian supporters in The Hague have started their march from the city centre towards the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ahead of the expected interim ruling from the court on South Africa’s allegation that the war in Gaza amounts to genocide against Palestinians, an emergency measure that could expose Israel to international sanctions. Some protesters are carrying placards reading “Free Palestine. Stop genocide.”
“I hope on a positive outcome from today’s ruling. We need a permanent ceasefire right now. All the civilian deaths are absolutely heartbreaking, it needs to stop right now,” said Jasmine, a pro-Palestinian demonstrator.
Updated
A German government spokesperson has said Germany will respect the outcome of the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) interim ruling in South Africa’s case alleging genocide by Israel in Gaza, Reuters reports.
British maritime security firm Ambrey said on Friday an explosion was seen approximately 1 nautical mile away from a Panama-flagged, India-affiliated crude and oil products tanker south-east of the Bab al-Mandab strait near Yemen, which connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Ambrey added that the vessel reported seeing two blasts towards the rear, with no damage being reported.
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said he expects the international court of justice (ICJ) to rule that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, Reuters reports.
Updated
Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan told his British counterpart David Cameron during a meeting in Istanbul on Friday that an immediate ceasefire was needed in Gaza, Reuters reports, citing a Turkish diplomatic source.
The source said the two ministers met for about 90 minutes, followed by inter-delegation talks, and discussed the war in Gaza, bilateral ties, and Turkey’s ratification of Sweden’s Nato membership bid.
Fidan told Cameron that a full and immediate ceasefire and a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is needed in Gaza for lasting peace, the source added.
Updated
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Friday a vessel positioned approximately 60 nautical miles (nm) from Yemen’s city of Al Hudaydah reported an explosion heard and missiles sighted a few miles from its position, Reuters reports.
UKMTO added a further explosion at sea was sighted approximately 0.5 nm from the reporting vessel.
The crew and the vessel are safe, UKMTO said.
Israeli national airline El Al to scrap direct flights to South Africa
The Israeli national airline El Al said on Friday it will scrap direct flights to South Africa after “a significant fall in demand by Israeli travellers” to the country and other destinations, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“From the end of March 2024, El Al will suspend its operations on the Johannesburg-Tel Aviv route,” an El Al statement said. The final El Al flight from Tel Aviv to Johannesburg is set to depart on 27 March, according to the airline’s website said AFP.
The announcement came hours before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is to issue an initial ruling on Pretoria’s case against Israel over alleged genocidal acts in Gaza.
Scores of international airlines have suspended Tel Aviv flights since the eruption of the Israel-Hamas war on 7 October, while many countries have warned their nationals against travelling to Israel.
The case brought by South Africa in the top UN court has signficantly strained relations with Israel, which denies accusations its military campaign in Gaza amounts to genocide against Palestinians.
The Hague-based ICJ could on Friday order Israel to stop its ground offensive and bombardment or Gaza, or permit more humanitarian aid to enter the territory.
The court will not however pass judgment on whether or not Israel is actually committing genocide in Gaza, as this process would probably take years.
Updated
Netanyahu's political motives cloud judgement on humanitarian tragedy in Gaza, says Irish MEP
The Irish MEP Seán Kelly suggested on Friday that the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political motives had clouded his judgment on the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza.
In a statement seen by the Guardian, Kelly called Netanyahu’s recent comments on the future of Gaza “extremely concerning” and accused the Israeli prime minister of being “driven by his own personal interest”.
“What is happening today in Gaza is a humanitarian tragedy. It is clear to see that a whole population is being punished for the brutal actions of Hamas – a terrorist group which I utterly denounce,” he said. Kelly, the leader of Fine Gael in the European parliament said:
It would appear that the Israeli prime minister has his sights set on destroying Gaza and his recent comments on the future are extremely concerning. The political reality is that prime minister Netanyahu’s popularity has plummeted amid the fallout of the 7 October tragedy. Even a majority of Israelis believe Netanyahu’s wartime decision-making is driven by his own personal interest. This war is devastating with thousands of innocent lives every day and it is clear the majority of the world want to see a peaceful end to the conflict as soon as possible”
Kelly added that Netanyahu’s rejection of a two-state solution and lack of defining a political outcome for Gaza was “completely unacceptable”. He said western governments needed to be more vocal in recognising Palestinian human rights, otherwise it risked leading to a broader conflict in the area.
“I urge prime minister Netanyahu to face up to the human cost of the Israeli assault on Gaza and agree a ceasefire as soon as possible,” said Kelly. Hostages taken by Hamas must be released immediately and unconditionally, and returned safely he added.
Kelly said: “Hamas is guilty of extremely horrific acts of terrorism and must end their violent campaign and ultimately be dismantled. However, Hamas will not be eradicated by the current indiscriminate bombing. Peace and stability cannot be achieved only by military means, especially in this case.”
He called for a ceasefire as well as immediate access for humanitarian aid, saying peace could only come about if both parties were “open to some sort of compromise”.
Kelly said he and his Fine Gael colleagues voted for “every version of a ceasefire” in the most recent European parliament resolution, “recognising the importance of the parliament having a united position in calling for a ceasefire across the political spectrum”.
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Drone attack on Iraqi Kurdish gas field leads to major power cuts, say officials
A drone attack on one of Iraq’s largest gas fields has led to a temporary suspension of production, resulting in major power cuts across the country’s northern Kurdistan region, officials said on Friday.
According to the news agency Reuters, no group has claimed responsibility for the explosive drone that struck Khor Mor gas field in the Sulaimaniya region of northern Iraq overnight. Kurdistan’s electricity ministry said the attack had led to a 2,800 megawatt drop in power production.
It damaged a liquid gas storage tank but caused no injuries, according to the field’s the United Arab Emirates-based operator, Dana Gas. It said production was temporarily suspended to put out a fire, which was extinguished, and a resumption of operations was expected soon.
US ambassador to Iraq Alina Romanowski condemned the attack, saying it “exposed millions to power outages in mid-winter”. Local sources said power from the network had been totally absent in the region since after the attack.
Pearl Petroleum, a consortium of Dana Gas and its affiliate Crescent Petroleum, have the rights to exploit the Khor Mor and Chemchemal fields, two of the biggest gas fields in Iraq.
Iraq has witnessed near-daily drone and rocket attacks since Israel’s war in Gaza began in October, mostly targeting bases housing troops belonging to a US-led military coalition. They have been claimed by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of hardline pro-Iran militias.
In a separate incident on Thursday, an explosive-laden drone targeting US forces at a base near Erbil airport in Iraq’s northern Kurdistan region was shot down by air defences, the region’s counter-terrorism service said.
Israeli ambassador to UN accuses WHO of ignoring 'evidence of Hamas terrorist use' in Gaza hospitals
Israeli ambassador to the UN, Meirav Eilon Shahar, accused the World Health Organization (WHO) of “collusion” with Hamas and by ignoring Israeli evidence of the “terrorist use” of hospitals in the Gaza Strip, reports the Times of Israel.
The publication cites comments made by Shahar to the WHO’s executive board on Thursday, in which she said:
[In] every single hospital that the IDF searched in Gaza, it found evidence of Hamas’ military use. These are undeniable facts that WHO chooses to ignore time and time again. This is not incompetence; it is collusion.”
Shahar also said that there could not be health care in the Palestinian territory when Hamas “embeds itself in hospitals and uses human shields.”
Al Rantisi, Kamal Adwan, Al Quds, Al Shifa, the Indonesian hospital…
— Meirav Eilon Shahar 🇮🇱 (@MeiravEShahar) January 25, 2024
The list goes on. Every single hospital that IDF searched in Gaza, it found evidence of Hamas terrorist use.
These are undeniable facts that @WHO chooses to ignore time and time again.
This is not… pic.twitter.com/KWlP3H6Kje
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People 'grinding up animal feed to use as flour' as Gaza faces hunger crisis, says charity
People are so desperate for food in Gaza that they are grinding up animal feed to use as flour, says a charity, warning that “famine is looming across the territory”.
In a statement released on its website, Actionaid said hunger in was reaching “catastrophic levels” in Gaza. The charity said:
With every single one of Gaza’s 2.3 million inhabitants now facing crisis or worse levels of hunger, some are so desperate for food that they are grinding up animal feed to use as flour. Famine is looming across the territory, while pockets of famine are strongly suspected in the north, where it is extremely challenging for aid to reach.
None of Gaza’s 335,000 children under the age of five are getting enough nutrition, according to the World Food Programme, which risks stunting their growth and causing lifelong health complications. Meanwhile some new mothers are so undernourished that they are unable to produce milk for their children.”
A mother of six who gave birth to her son after being displaced from her home in northern Gaza told Actionaid that due to difficulty breastfeeding and the rising price of milk, she was unable to provide for her son who keeps vomiting. She said a tin of milk now costs 70 or 80 shekels (£14.82 or £16.94)
According to the charity, only 15 of Gaza’s 97 bakeries are now functional and all of these are in the south: there are no bakeries operating in the north. It also stressed the scarcity of water; the average person in Gaza now only has access to between 1.5 and 2 litres of water each day for all of their needs including drinking, washing and cleaning.
With every single one of Gaza’s 2.3 million inhabitants now facing crisis or worse levels of hunger, some are so desperate for food that they are grinding up animal feed to use as flour.
— ActionAid UK (@ActionAidUK) January 25, 2024
Read our new statement:https://t.co/tQvdJ8zrfW
Only one of the three water pipes from Israel into Gaza now working and the amount of water available at municipal wells – which is brackish and substandard – is down to one tenth of its pre 7 October level, the charity said citing UNOCHA data.
Riham Jafari, advocacy and communications coordinator at ActionAid Palestine said:
Every single person in Gaza right now is experiencing hunger and the situation is only getting worse. We’ve heard of families who have only had a single piece of bread to share among them for the whole day. Some people are so desperate they’re grinding down animal feed to use as flour. Many have no choice but to drink dirty, contaminated water and are getting sick as a result.”
Jafari added that the “most tragic thing” about the hunger crisis in Gaza was that it had been “completely avoidable”. He added: “For weeks now, humanitarian organisations have been sounding the alarm that famine is looming, yet the number of aid trucks permitted entry into Gaza remains far too low.”
Actionaid called for increased aid trucks entering Gaza as well as an immediate and permanent ceasefire.
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183 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes in the past 24 hours, says health ministry
The latest figures from the Gaza health ministry, which is run by Hamas, said 183 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes and 377 were injured in the past 24 hours.
According to the statement, at least 26,083 Palestinians have been killed and 64,487 have been injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since 7 October.
The ministry does not distinguish between combatants and non-combatants.
Snipers shooting people trying to leave hospital in Khan Younis, says Al Jazeera reporter
Snipers around the vicinity of al-Amal hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, are shooting people as they try to leave the buildings, according to an Al Jazeera reporter.
Hani Mahmoud, a journalist reporting for the Qatari-state owned news organisation, said the hospital was under military siege. He writes:
This hospital has been under siege for the past few days and now it’s completely out of service.
But what’s really shocking right now is the fact that there are snipers around the vicinity of this hospital. The buildings of the hospital accommodate hundreds of displaced Palestinians. They’re being shot if they try to leave the buildings.”
He also said bombing had continued overnight across the city, with its small refugee camps and public facilities being “relentlessly targeted by Israeli artillery shelling”. Mahmoud added there had been an airstrike around the vicinity of Nasser hospital.
The Guardian has been unable independently to verify the reports.
The volume of commercial traffic passing through the Suez Canal has fallen by more than 40% in the last two months after attacks by Yemen’s Houthis, according to the United Nations.
UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) head Jan Hoffman says:
We are very concerned that the attacks on Red Sea shipping are adding tensions to global trade, exacerbating [existing] trade disruptions due to geopolitics and climate change
According to the UNCTAD, ships diverting from the Red Sea, sailing instead around South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, has led to a 42% drop in transit through the Suez Canal in the last two months, Agence France-Presse reports.
The Houthis say they are targeting what they consider Israeli-linked commercial and military shipping in the region in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, pushing some cargo carriers to take longer and more expensive routes to avoid attack.
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Away from the international court of justice case – the United States and Iraq say they will begin discussions on the future of American and other foreign troops in the country.
Baghdad is expecting the talks to lead to a timeline for reducing the troops presence, Agence France-Presse reports.
Washington has forces in Iraq as part of the international coalition against the Islamic State (IS) group, but the country’s prime minister – whose government relies on the support of Iran-aligned parties – has called for the coalition to leave.
The talks have been planned for months and come at a time of heightened tensions in Iraq and the region linked to the war between Israel and Hamas, which has sparked a surge in attacks on American and other coalition forces.
There are roughly 2,500 US troops deployed in Iraq and about 900 in Syria as part of the anti-IS coalition formed in 2014 – the year the group overran around a third of Iraq.
A senior US defence official said the upcoming meetings would not be a negotiation on the withdrawal of American forces from Iraq, but said Washington “sees a need to transition to a normal bilateral security cooperation relationship”.
Washington has carried out strikes on Iran-backed groups in response to a spike in attacks on coalition troops, sparking condemnation from Baghdad, with prime minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani calling on the coalition to withdraw from the country.
The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, says that US relations with South Africa will not suffer despite its genocide case against Israel.
The international court of justice will rule on Friday on whether there is enough evidence that Israel has broken or could break the genocide convention to justify it ordering emergency measures to protect civilians.
Blinken is on a tour of Africa that does not include a stop in South Africa. According to Agence France-Presse, he told reporters in Angola on Thursday:
Of course, our relationship with South Africa is vitally important and it is a very broad and deep relationship covering many, many issues …
When we have a disagreement on one particular matter, it doesn’t take away from the important work that we are doing together
The US secretary of state has rejected the allegations of genocide brought by South Africa against Israel.
Israel has voiced fury over the lawsuit, accusing South Africa of effectively acting as the legal defence team of Hamas.
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For a basic explanation of the international court of justice case and South Africa’s claim against Israel – have a look at this explainer.
It will take you through what the ICJ actually is, the main case – as well as what today’s expected ruling is all about:
Hamas says that if the international court of justice delivers an interim ruling calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, the group will abide by it as long as Israel reciprocates.
Reuters is reporting that Hamas made the comments on Thursday, a day before the interim ruling is due.
Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan also said at a news conference in Beirut that Hamas will release all the Israeli hostages in Gaza if Israel releases all Palestinians prisoners, says Reuters.
Israel has asked the International Court of Justice in The Hague to reject the case outright. An Israeli government spokesperson on Thursday said they expect the UN’s top court to “throw out these spurious and specious charges”.
Let’s look back at what happened at the opening of the international court of justice case earlier this month. Our legal affairs correspondent Haroon Siddique writes:
Shortly after 10am local time on 11 January a hush descended over the ornate courtroom at the Peace Palace in The Hague as the judges of the international court of justice entered to hear South Africa’s case alleging genocide by Israel in Gaza.
Outside the court, protesters noisily made their feelings known and more than 3,000km away the bombardment of the Palestinian enclave continued, as the US president of the court, Joan Donoghue, began the formalities, opening the hearing into the war in Gaza.
Once the formalities were dispensed with it was then left to Vusimuzi Madonsela, South Africa’s ambassador to the Netherlands, to open the case, which pitted two countries with painful histories against each other.
The delegations from each side included “some of the lucky ones who managed to get out of Gaza”, and relatives of Israelis taken hostage by Hamas. The court is due to deliver an interim ruling at 1pm (12:00 GMT) on Friday.
Read Haroon’s full piece here:
The director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and his Israeli counterpart will meet Qatari officials in coming days for talks on a second potential Gaza hostage deal and pause in fighting, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Thursday.
William Burns and the head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence service, David Barnea, will meet Qatari prime minister and foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Europe this weekend, one official briefed on the meeting told the news agency.
William Burns will make the trip in the next few days, according to The Washington Post and Axios, which did not give a location for the talks, reports Agence France Presse.
Both the US intelligence agency and White House declined to confirm the travel, but White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby recalled that Burns had already been involved in negotiations over a prior hostage agreement at the end of November and indicated that he was participating in efforts for another one.
ICJ to give interim ruling in South Africa’s case alleging genocide by Israel in Gaza
Israeli officials are bracing for an expected interim ruling from the international court of justice on South Africa’s allegation that the war in Gaza amounts to genocide against Palestinians, an emergency measure that could expose Israel to international sanctions.
The UN’s top court, which settles disputes between states, said on Wednesday that it would hand down its landmark ruling on Friday. The Hague-based body could order Israel to stop its three-month campaign in the Gaza Strip, sparked by the unprecedented attack by Hamas on 7 October. ICJ rulings are binding and cannot be appealed against, although the court has no power to enforce them.
South Africa filed a case against Israel before the court in December, alleging that the devastating offensive, which has killed 25,700 people, amounts to state-led genocide and stands in breach of the UN’s genocide convention, signed in 1948 as the world’s response to the Holocaust.
The full ruling is likely to take years, and the court is only looking at South Africa’s request for emergency measures to protect Palestinians from potential breaches of the convention on Friday. International legal experts believe an interim decision against Israel this week could serve as a pretext for sanctions.
Lawyers for South Africa alleged in their opening arguments in The Hague that Israel’s bombing campaign amounted to the “destruction of Palestinian life” and had pushed people to the brink of famine.
Israel has dismissed the allegations as “grossly distorted”, arguing it has a right to defend itself after the 7 October attack that killed 1,200 people, and that its offensive is targeting Hamas rather than the Palestinian people as a whole.
Read more here:
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Welcome and opening summary
It’s 7:32am in Gaza and Tel Aviv and 6:32am in The Hague where the international court of justice is preparing to sit. Welcome to our latest Middle East crisis blog. I’m Reged Ahmad and I’ll be with you for the next while.
The international court of justice is preparing to deliver an interim ruling on South Africa’s allegation that the war in Gaza amounts to genocide against Palestinians, an emergency measure that could expose Israel to international sanctions. Israel has called South Africa’s allegations false and “grossly distorted,” and said it makes the utmost efforts to avoid civilian casualties in Gaza.
More on that in a moment but first, here’s a summary of the latest so far:
The director of the CIA William Burns will meet with his Israeli and Egyptian counterparts plus the Qatari prime minister in Europe, according to US media reports. It’s in an effort to negotiate a fresh truce and hostage release in the Israel-Gaza war.
The US and UK will impose new sanctions on leaders of the Iran-aligned Houthi group, which will include at least four senior figures being subject to asset freezes and travel bans, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday citing people familiar with the plan. Senior ministers in the Houthi administration in Yemen would also be sanctioned, with an announcement expected as early as Thursday.
The targeting of ships linked to Israel will continue until aid reaches the Palestinian people in Gaza, Yemen’s Houthis leader Abdel-Malik al-Houthi said on Thursday in a televised speech. The group’s leader added that the results of the latest US and British escalation would be counterproductive and would not affect “our will and determination”.
The US secretary of state Antony Blinken on Thursday renewed calls for Israel to protect civilians after a deadly strike on a UN shelter in Gaza that brought rare US condemnation. “We have reaffirmed this with the government of Israel and it is my understanding that they are, as is necessary and appropriate, looking into this incident,” Blinken said, without saying at what level discussions took place.
Nasser hospital in Khan Younis has run out of food, anaesthetics and painkillers. “The health and humanitarian situation in the hospital is extremely catastrophic due to the siege by the Israeli occupation forces,” the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said.
Israel’s far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich on Thursday accused Qatar, a key mediator in efforts to free its hostages, of being “largely responsible” for the 7 October Hamas attack. “One thing is clear: Qatar will not be involved one bit in what happens in Gaza the day after the war,” he said. His comments came after Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was recorded allegedly telling hostages’ families this week that Qatar’s mediation was “problematic” when it came to resolving the hostage crisis.
Qatar accused Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu of obstructing mediation efforts in the Gaza war and prioritising his career after a leaked recording allegedly captured him calling the Gulf state “problematic”. Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Majed al-Ansari, said “we are appalled by the alleged remarks”.
Thomas White, the director of affairs in Gaza for the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), said on Thursday that the situation in Khan Younis, southern Gaza ‘underscores a consistent failure’ to uphold international humanitarian law. He said the “persistent attacks on civilian sites” were “utterly unacceptable and must stop immediately”. White also said that an attack on UN Relief and Works Agency shelter in Gaza housing thousands of displaced people, had killed at least 12 people and injured 75 people, including 15 who were in a critical condition. White said a number of missions to reach the dead and injured were denied, without directly saying the attempts had been blocked by Israel. He said UN teams were only able to reach the site in the evening. Israel has denied responsibility for the attack, in which two tank shells hit an UNRWA training centre.
People were seen fleeing near an aid distribution point in the Zeitoun district of Gaza City on Wednesday as gunfire was heard in the background. The video, shared on social media, showed crowds jostling and rushing, some with animal carts. Many people were seen carrying aid as they ran.
Israel’s military says it is looking into allegations that its forces opened fire on crowds of Palestinians queueing for aid in northern Gaza City, reports Al Jazeera. At least 20 people were killed and 150 injured in the attack at the Kuwait roundabout, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry. Ashraf al-Qudra, a spokesperson for the health ministry said a “massacre” had been carried out on “hungry mouths”. Victims were being treated at al-Shifa hospital, which is out of medical supplies and only has a few doctors working, Qudra said.
Air raid alarms were sounded in Israel on Thursday, marking the first time in almost four days that projectiles were apparently launched from the Gaza Strip towards the country, reports the Times of Israel. Sirens were activated in the evacuated border community of Netiv Ha’asara, with no reports of injuries or damage.
The Houthis in Yemen should be labelled as a terrorist group by the UK government, a top lawyer told parliament on Thursday. Independent crossbench peer Lord Pannick argued that the actions and ideology of the Iran-backed group warrant its so-called proscription. His comments came after the UK and US conducted their second round of joint strikes on Houthi targets this week after continued attacks on Red Sea shipping.
Lord Cameron, the UK foreign secretary, who is in the Middle East for talks with Israeli leaders and Qatari mediators, has called for an end to the Israeli “bottlenecks” preventing aid reaching Gaza and backed an immediate pause in the fighting. Cameron also met the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, in the occupied West Bank, where he discussed his Gaza plan to “move from a pause – to get aid in and hostages out – towards a sustainable ceasefire, leading to a long-term political solution, including a Palestinian state”.
António Guterres, the UN secretary general, said the humanitarian situation in Gaza is “appalling”, with a quarter of the population grappling with catastrophic levels of food insecurity, as he renewed the UN’s plea for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire”. “Everyone in Gaza is hungry,” he said.
Israeli strikes have killed at least 50 Palestinians in Khan Younis in the last 24 hours, says Ashraf al-Qidra, a spokesperson for the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry. Al Jazeera reported that at least three people including two children had been killed by Israeli shelling of the al-Satar al-Gharbi area of Khan Younis.
The Iranian president, Ebrahim Raisi, said the conflict in Gaza shows the UN and other world bodies have lost their effectiveness and called on Muslim countries and other nations to unite for a new “fair world order”. Reporting from Ankara on Wednesday, where Raisi met his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Al Jazeera journalist Sinem Köseoğlu said Raisi demanded the political and economic isolation of Israel, with the Iranian president saying “cutting the lifelines” would be an effective way of ending “Israel’s oppression and murders”.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society transported a number of injured people to hospital on Thursday morning after Israeli forces targeted an apartment building in Rafah, southern Gaza. At least one person was killed in the strike, which happened at dawn in the Tal as-Sultan neighbourhood, reported Al Jazeera.
The fatal shooting of American-Palestinian teenager, Tawfic Abdel Jabbar while driving a pickup truck in the occupied West Bank was unprovoked, the sole passenger has said, describing apparent Israeli fire hitting the back of the vehicle before it overturned several times on a dirt road.
A 72-year-old Israeli woman held captive by Hamas militants for nearly 50 days has told an Israeli TV channel that she was held at length in a dark, humid tunnel where she met the Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar.
Violent clashes overnight were reported in the occupied West Bank as Israeli forces raided the city of Jenin. The local Palestinian militant group, the Jenin Brigades, said its men were engaged in heavy exchanges of fire with the Israeli military, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported, while Al Jazeera wrote that one Palestinian had been arrested. The Qatari broadcaster also cited the Palestinian Wafa news agency as reporting that Israeli forces had destroyed monuments to dead Palestinians and that city streets had been torn up by Israeli bulldozers.
Thousands of Indians have flocked to a recruitment centre in India for jobs as construction workers in Israel, willing to take the risk of going to a country embroiled in a devastating war in Gaza.
The number of antisemitic acts registered in Belgium rose sharply since the Hamas attack against Israel that triggered a war in Gaza, according to figures released on Thursday by Unia, an independent public body fighting discrimination. Unia that said it received 91 reports related to the Israel-Gaza conflict between 7 October and 7 December last year, compared with 57 reports for the whole of 2022.
