The International Court of Justice (ICJ) Friday, ordered Israel to ensure it prevents genocide in the Gaza Strip.
In a judgement in the suit filed by South Africa, accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza, the court did not order an immediate ceasefire in the protracted war.
The presiding judge, Joan Donoghue, in the judgement said Israel must try to contain death and damage in the Gaza Strip.
The 1948 treaty defines genocide as “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.”
All states that signed the convention, including Israel and Palestine, are obliged to not commit genocide and to prevent and punish it.
Riding on the strength of this Treaty, South Africa had petitioned the ICJ in December, saying the war between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, violates the 1948 genocide convention.
In the petition, the African country had requested immediate measures, saying the court should order an end to the violence against Palestinians in order to protect their rights “from further serious and irreparable harm.”
Although Donoghue did not order a ceasefire, she said Israel must take immediate, effective measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance in the enclave.
The judge said the ruling creates international legal obligations for Israel, and asked the Jewish nation to report to the court within a month on what it is doing to uphold the order to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza.
