The World Court has ordered Israel to end the spreading famine in Gaza by ensuring basic food supplies for Palestinians. This ruling from the International Court of Justice comes as aid agencies report that only a fraction of the necessary supplies are entering the devastated enclave. The court judges observed that famine is now a real threat in Gaza and ordered Israel to increase the capacity of land crossings to allow for more supplies to enter.
Israel has been given a month to submit a report detailing how it will comply with the court’s ruling. The measures were requested by South Africa as part of its case accusing Israel of state-led genocide in Gaza. However, a senior Hamas official believes that the ruling falls short and that a ceasefire is needed to stop the suffering of the people in Gaza.
The United Nations Security Council recently voted to demand an immediate ceasefire and the release of all hostages, with the United States abstaining from the vote. Israel has stated that it is working to increase access for humanitarian groups through various means but aid agencies argue that more needs to be done. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called the number of blocked trucks at the border a “moral outrage.”
There has been no immediate response from Israel’s foreign ministry regarding the World Court’s ruling. Israel’s efforts to expand humanitarian access to Gaza are being criticized as insufficient, with calls for a ceasefire to address the humanitarian crisis in the region.