South Africa Urges World Court To Intervene, Impose Emergency Orders on Israel Over Worsening Famine Crisis in Gaza

On Wednesday, South Africa asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to order additional emergency measures against Israel, citing the threat of famine affecting Palestinians in Gaza.

In its application, South Africa also urged the court to order all parties to cease hostilities and release all hostages and detainees.

South Africa Urges ICJ for Emergency Measures

Displaced Palestinians gather to receive food at a donation point in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on February 24, 2024, after more than four months of ongoing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas. UNICEF, the UN Children's Agency, and the UN's World Food Programme have warned Gazans are inching closer towards famine.
(Photo : YASSER QUDIHE/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

In a statement released on Wednesday, the South African presidency warned that the people of Gaza cannot wait.

"The threat of all-out famine has now materialized. The court needs to act now to stop the imminent tragedy by immediately and effectively ensuring that the rights it has found are threatened under the Genocide Convention are protected," it said.

South Africa asked the court to order that Israel should implement immediate and effective measures to provide basic services and humanitarian aid to address famine and starvation in Gaza.

It said that ICJ, often known as the World Court, should adopt these measures without holding further hearings due to the "extreme urgency of the situation."

The United Nations has warned that widespread starvation in the Gaza Strip is almost inevitable without action. Aid organizations have blamed military operations, insecurity, and extensive restrictions on the delivery of supplies for the lack of food in the enclave, which has been under Israeli siege and assault since October.

According to health officials in Gaza, over 30,000 people have died in the strip during the five-month conflict. The authorities said that at least 20 people have died from malnutrition and famine in Gaza. The World Food Programme (WFP) said the number of humanitarian aid convoys entering Gaza daily must at least double to provide for some of the population's most basic needs.

Carl Skau, deputy executive director and chief operating officer at the World Food Programme, said they need a minimum of 300 trucks a day. He added that they need commercial supplies in the long run.

Pretoria requested additional sanctions from the court for the second time on Wednesday. The first attempt to pressure Israel to stop its offensive against the Gaza city of Rafah was turned down in February. Furthermore, a final ruling in the case in The Hague could take years.

Britain To Warn Israel's Gantz Over Famine in Gaza

On Wednesday, UK foreign minister David Cameron said that Britain will warn Israel that it is losing patience with the "dreadful suffering" in Gaza, where a lack of aid is leading people to starve to death.

Cameron, who is scheduled to meet Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz on Wednesday, told the parliament late on Tuesday that there were concerns about Israel's handling of aid for Gaza as the occupying power over its compliance with international law.

The foreign minister told the upper House of Lords that he spoke about the danger of this tipping into famine and disease weeks ago. He noted that people are dying due to hunger and preventable diseases.