The World Court of Justice unanimously ordered Israel, accused by South Africa of genocide in Gaza, to take all necessary and effective action to ensure basic food supplies to the enclave's Palestinian population and halt the spreading of famine.
Judges at the World Court, also known as the International Court of Justice, said the Palestinians in Gaza face worsening conditions and famine and starvation were spreading.
"The court observes that Palestinians in Gaza are no longer facing only a risk of famine ... but that famine is setting in," the judges said in their order. South Africa requested the new measures as part of its ongoing case that accuses Israel of state-led genocide in Gaza.
There was no immediate comment from Israel's Foreign Ministry on the ruling. Israel has said it was making efforts to expand access for humanitarian aid to Gaza overland, through airdrops and by ship to the enclave's Mediterranean coast.
Spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Thursday afternoon that the State Department will review the ICJ order before reacting.
"But as a general proposition, of course, increasing humanitarian assistance to Gaza is something that we support and something that we have urged Israel to help facilitate," Miller said.
However, Miller was clear in saying that the US does not believe a genocide has taken place or that it's an appropriate or constructive term to use in this instance.
In January, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), also known as the World Court, ordered Israel to refrain from any acts that could fall under the Genocide Convention and to ensure its troops commit no genocidal acts against Palestinians after South Africa accused Israel of state-led genocide in Gaza.
Ireland said on Wednesday it would intervene in South Africa's genocide case against Israel. Foreign Minister Micheal Martin announced the move.
Martin did not say what form the intervention would take or outline any argument or proposal Ireland plans to put forward.
Israel and its Western allies described the allegation as baseless. A final ruling in South Africa's ICJ case in The Hague could take years.
Israel Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lior Haiat posted to X, saying "As has been repeatedly affirmed, Israel is committed to international law, including with respect to allowing and facilitating the transfer of essential humanitarian aid to the civilian population in the Gaza Strip."
South Africa has failed yet again in its cynical attempts to exploit the ICJ in order to undermine Israel's inherent right and obligation to defend its citizens from the ongoing Hamas attacks and to secure the release of hostages still held in Gaza in brutal captivity.As has… pic.twitter.com/ERoF1jHA8S
— Lior Haiat ️ (@LiorHaiat) March 28, 2024
UN calls for ceasefire and accountability amid Gaza crisis
UN Under-Secretary-General and Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide, Alice Wairimu Nderitu, acknowledged on Thursday the Monday Security Council resolution that calls for an immediate ceasefire and the release of the hostages. Nderitu called for the full implementation of the resolutions.
"This war, together with its attendant suffering, needs to end, and needs to end now, said Nderitu in a press statement. "Those responsible for hindering humanitarian access and for hate speech, dehumanizing, and inciteful language must be held to account," she added.
"Mutual pain needs to be acknowledged, and such a desire can become a reality when there is willingness not only to hear the other side but also to concede one another equal respect for fundamental rights," she added, calling on all parties to demonstrate leadership.
"The land that holds historical and religious connections for Jews across the world, the spiritual center of the Muslim faith and the cradle of Christianity, can become a clarion for peace not only in the immediate region but in the entire world," she said.
The foreign ministry said on Thursday that France had declared its intention to resume funding UNRWA under certain conditions.
The ministry in Paris said France intends to provide over 30 million euros ($32.41 million US dollars) to UNRWA this year to support its operations amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
"We will make our contributions while ensuring that the conditions are met for UNRWA to fulfill its missions in a spirit devoid of incitement to hatred and violence," Foreign Ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine told journalists.
Kuwait has handed its annual US dollar contribution of $2 million to UNRWA, Reuters reported on Thursday, based on the Kuwaiti state news agency KUNA.
UNRWA said on Tuesday it had sufficient funds to run its operations until the end of May after many donors paused their funding over Israeli accusations that some staff took part in Hamas' October 7 massacre.