South Africa Seeks ICJ Action on Israeli-induced Gaza Starvation

By Al Mayadeen English

6 Mar 2024 23:54

Approximately half a million people in Gaza are currently on the verge of famine.

South Africa on Wednesday returned to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to request further provisional measures against "Israel", aimed at addressing the widespread starvation among Palestinians in the blockaded Gaza Strip. 

On December 29, 2023, South Africa filed genocide charges against "Israel" at the International Court of Justice. While the court recognized that South Africa's case holds plausible merit, it did not call for a permanent ceasefire and demanded that vague emergency measures be taken, which fall way short of the scope of the tragedy that has befallen Gaza.

Approximately half a million people are currently on the verge of famine, according to the Palestinian foreign minister, and numbers are continuing to rise as the blockade endures.

In an urgent plea, Pretoria stated that it was "compelled to return to the Court in light of the new facts and changes in the situation in Gaza — particularly the situation of widespread starvation."

It further requested the court to specify additional provisional measures in the case regarding the application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in Gaza, citing the urgent necessity "to ensure the safety and security of 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza, including over a million children."

Urging the court to act swiftly, it called for these measures to be determined without a formal hearing due "extreme urgency of the situation."

On February 13, South Africa made similar requests the ICJ to intervene and prevent a potential genocide in Rafah. 

In response, the ICJ issued a decision stating that no extra measures will be taken, apart from those already ordered on January 26, 2024.

The Court said it refused to add additional provisional measures because it deemed that those ordered on January 26 were already sufficient. 

"This perilous situation demands immediate and effective implementation of the provisional measures indicated by the Court in its Order of 26 January 2024, which are applicable throughout the Gaza Strip, including in Rafah, and does not demand the indication of additional provisional measures," the ICJ's decision reads. 

Earlier in the day, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Health in Gaza, Ashraf al-Qudra, stated that a 15-year-old Palestinian child in Al-Shifa Hospital has been martyred due to malnutrition and dehydration. 

He added that a 72-year-old Palestinian man was also martyred in Kamal Adwan Hospital north of Gaza due to the same reason. 

Al-Qudra stated that the total number of Palestinians killed by malnutrition and dehydration has risen to 20 adding that this reflects the truth behind the level of aid delivered to hospitals.