Jan. 26 (UPI) — The International Court of Justice in the Hague on Friday ordered Israel to take immediate steps to end atrocities in Gaza in its war with Hamas, but stopped short of suspending the military campaign that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians.
The court did not issue a verdict on the charges of genocide, which Israel and the United States have blasted as baseless. And any finding of genocide by the court would result in a prosecution that could take several years to play out.
The interim ruling issued by the panel of 15 judges Friday established six provisional measures that Israel must undertake to prevent further potential genocidal acts by its military.
The measures are designed to ensure further humanitarian access to the region as the war continues.
After the ruling, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the charges ridiculous and vowed to continue fighting in Gaza until Hamas is annihilated.
He added that Israel will “continue to defend ourselves and our citizens while adhering to international law.”
The ruling came after a two-day genocide trial earlier this month, in which South African government attorneys accused Israel of war crimes while urging the top court of the United Nations to order the Israeli military out of Gaza.
Two weeks after the hearing, the court sought to prevent further genocidal acts as the body continues to consider whether Israel had violated the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
The U.N.-sponsored human rights treaty — signed in 1948 by Israel, South Africa and other nations — was established in the wake of the Holocaust to prevent future instances of genocide after 6 million Jews were systematically murdered by the Nazis during World War II.
The treaty defines genocide as “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.”
Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki hailed the ruling, saying the justices on the international court ruled “in favor of humanity and international law.”
The case comes nearly 16 weeks after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, which led to an all-out invasion of Gaza by the Israeli military that has killed about 25,000 Palestinian civilians, including 6,000 children, according to estimates by the Gaza Ministry of Health.
By comparison, 9,000 Hamas militants are believed to have been killed in the conflict. About 1,200 Israelis were killed during the initial Hamas attack.
A simultaneous hostage crisis also emerged as more than 200 Israeli civilians were taken captive during the deadliest attack in its territory since the country was established.
Despite a pair of brief cease-fires to free more than 100 hostages, the war continues unabated as diplomats from several nations scramble behind the scenes in pursuit of a long-term peace agreement.
CIA director Bill Burns is planning to meet with officials from Israel, Qatar and Egypt in the coming days to discuss another potential cease-fire.
During opening statements in the trial, South African government lawyers accused Israel of intentionally targeting Palestinian families and children, demonstrating a “pattern of genocide.”
The attorneys also argued that the latest Middle East war brought to light decades of Israeli oppression against Palestine, which amounted to a “plausible claim of genocidal acts.”
Israeli military leaders maintain they are abiding by international law and making every effort to minimize harm to civilians in areas where Hamas operates underground.
