South Africa asks ICJ to order 'Israel's' withdrawal from Rafah
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In its ongoing lawsuit against the Israeli genocide, South Africa has requested that the withdrawal of "Israel" be imposed as part of the ICJ's emergency measures.
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Palestinians displaced by the Israeli air and ground offensive on the Gaza Strip walk through a makeshift tent camp in Rafah, on the border with Egypt Gaza, Friday, May 10, 2024 (AP)
South Africa requested on Friday that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) order the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from Rafah as part of measures to prevent genocide in Gaza in its ongoing lawsuit against "Israel".
The published ICJ filings revealed that South Africa asked the court to order "Israel's" complete withdrawal from Rafah, the "last refuge" for Gazans, as well as the allowance of unrestricted access to UN officials, organizations, journalists, investigators, and humanitarian aid into Gaza.
South Africa reiterated that "Israel" is killing Palestinian civilians while starving them by blocking humanitarian aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip. "Those who have survived so far are facing imminent death now, and an order from the Court is needed to ensure their survival," South Africa said in its filing.
It is worth noting that the ICJ failed to charge "Israel" with genocide, but imposed a set of anti-genocide measures the occupation blatantly neglected.
Read more: Netanyahu further defies US, says 'Israel' to 'fight with fingernails'
Amid its continued warmongering on the Strip, the Israeli occupation invaded Rafah despite international rejection.
Farhan Haq, a spokesperson for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, cautioned during a news conference that an invasion of Rafah "would bring catastrophe on top of catastrophe," particularly for the children residing there, as reported by Anadolu news agency.
Citing UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell's about the the dire situation faced by the children in the city, Haq highlighted that "nearly all of the some 600,000 children in Rafah are either injured, sick, malnourished, traumatized, or living with disabilities."
He also recalled the figures issued by the World Health Organization (WHO), which highlighted the alarming condition of healthcare facilities in Rafah, noting that three of Gaza's 12 currently operational hospitals are in the city.
The spokesperson mentioned that the WHO warned that the medical facilities "will quickly become non-functional if there's a military incursion into Rafah, and then a full-scale military operation into Rafah could lead to a bloodbath."
