Israel has requested the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to refrain from issuing emergency orders requiring it to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza to address a looming famine, dismissing South Africa's request to do so as "morally repugnant."
In a legal filing to the top United Nations court, Israel said on Monday that it has a real concern for the humanitarian situation and innocent lives, as demonstrated by the actions it has and is taking in Gaza.
Israel Asks ICJ to Dismiss Gaza New Measures
Lawyers for Israel denied claims of deliberately causing humanitarian suffering in the besieged enclave, where tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed and starvation is rising. They said South Africa abused the process by repeatedly requesting more measures.
In its March 6 request for new measures, South Africa made claims that the filing claimed were wholly unfounded in fact and law, morally repugnant, and represented an abuse both of the Genocide Convention and of the court itself.
The latest exchange between the parties is a part of South Africa's ongoing case of Israel's alleged state-led genocide in Gaza following Hamas strikes on Israel on October 7.
Israel was given an injunction in January by the ICJ to ensure that Israeli troops do not perform any acts that could be considered violations of the Genocide Convention against Palestinians in Gaza. Israel called the accusation of genocide "baseless."
Relief organizations providing help to Gaza's 2.3 million people reported serious restrictions on essential aid. Since October 7, Israel has shut off Gaza and stopped the inflow of much-needed fuel.
ICJ emergency measures serve as temporary injunctions to prevent a problem from deteriorating before the court in The Hague can hear the entire case, which usually takes several years.
Israel released a statement on the same day that the UN World Food Programme said that "famine is imminent" in northern Gaza. According to the agency, over half of Gaza's population might face starvation if Israel escalates its attack, with 70% of the remaining population already suffering from catastrophic hunger.
Palestinian authorities reported at least 20 people have died from malnutrition and starvation in Gaza since Israel started its attack on Gaza.
Josep Borrell, the senior diplomat for the European Union, declared on Monday that starvation is used as a weapon of war and that the looming famine in Gaza was "entirely man-made."
"Trucks are stopped. People are dying while the land crossings are artificially closed," he said.
Pretoria has petitioned the ICJ twice, the second time supporting South Africa's plea. Its initial request, made in February, to put pressure on Israel to stop an offensive against Rafah, a city in southern Gaza, was rejected.
Gaza To Face Famine Between March, May
On Monday, a United Nations-backed report warned that over 70% of Gaza's 2.3 million residents are facing "catastrophic hunger" and that the region's north might experience famine at any point between mid-March and May.
There are still 300,000 people stranded in northern Gaza, where they have resorted to consuming animal feed out of desperation. In the past few weeks, at least 27 children have passed away from hunger as a result of Israel's blockade of assistance supplies, including food.
On Sunday, the first aid trucks entered northern Gaza in months.
According to a report by the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), half of Gaza's population, with around 1.1 million people, lives in severe food insecurity, with the entire population suffering from high levels of acute food shortage.
It said that famine is now projected and imminent in the North Gaza and Gaza Governorates and is expected to become manifest during the projection period from mid-March 2024 to May 2024.
