The International Court of Justice has ruled that Israel must take immediate action to end the famine in Gaza by ensuring that basic food supplies reach the Palestinians in need. The court unanimously demanded that Israel increase the capacity and number of land crossing points to facilitate the inflow of essential supplies and keep them open for as long as necessary.
Israel was given a month to submit a report detailing its compliance with the ruling. Aid agencies have reported that only about one-fifth of the required supplies are currently entering Gaza, putting Palestinians at risk of famine. The judges of the World Court stated that Palestinians in Gaza are already experiencing famine, and urged Israel to take all necessary and effective measures to provide the needed supplies to the war-torn enclave.
The measures were requested by South Africa as part of a case accusing Israel of state-led genocide in Gaza. A senior Hamas official welcomed the ruling but believed it should have gone further by demanding a ceasefire to halt the suffering of the people in Gaza. The United Nations Security Council had recently voted for an immediate ceasefire and the release of all hostages, with the United States abstaining from the vote.
Israel has stated it is working to expand humanitarian access to Gaza through various means, but aid agencies argue that these efforts are insufficient. The number of trucks blocked at the border has been described as a moral outrage by the UN Secretary-General. As of now, there has been no comment from Israel’s foreign ministry regarding the World Court’s ruling.