Human Rights Watch welcomes ICJ ruling to halt Rafah offensive, but emphasizes need for 'action'

ISTANBUL

The Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Friday welcomed the ruling issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for Israel to immediately cease its military offensive in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip.

"The court ordered, among other things, for Israel to open Rafah crossing for humanitarian aid and to ensure that its actions in Gaza are protective of civilians as is necessary. So, we welcome that," Sari Bashi, a program director at the New York based rights organization, told Anadolu.

Israel earlier this month launched a ground offensive in Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians had taken refuge from war that began last October. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) estimates that more than 800,000 people have since fled the city.

The order, adopted by the panel of 15 judges in a 13-2 vote, came a week after it was requested by South Africa as part of its case accusing Israel of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention in the conflict that has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians in Gaza, leveled much of the territory and led to food shortages.

The ICJ also ordered Israel to open the Rafah border crossing, provide "unimpeded access" to investigators looking into allegations of genocide, and report back on the progress within one month.

Bashi said the ICJ order also needs to be backed by "action."

"The governments who are supplying arms to the Israeli government need to stop doing so until such time as the Israeli government complies with international law," she said. "Targeted sanctions and diplomatic pressure should also be used to get the Israeli government to comply."

She said the situation in Gaza is "dire," as civilians are facing famine and nowhere is safe. "And if the court order is complied with, then the situation for civilians should improve. We have concerns that previous orders have not been complied with," the official said, adding that the HRW would ask the international community to ensure Israel's compliance with these binding orders.

Bashi said the court's directive for access to investigators and journalists in the blockaded enclave is "very important," reminding that there are a number of international fact-finding commissions investigating the situation in Palestine, including the International Criminal Court.

"It is really critical for them to have access to Gaza so that they can conduct their work and evaluate the situation," she said.

She pointed out that since Oct. 7, 2023 Israel has not permitted foreign journalists to enter Gaza unless they are embedded with the military.

The program director said a significant number of Palestinian journalists have been killed in the conflict, but Israeli authorities have denied entry to human rights investigators, including those from the HRW.

"So, I would very much hope that the Israeli government will comply with the order and allow international investigators to enter," Bashi said.