The International Court of Justice (ICJ) Friday announced its much-awaited verdict on the Gaza genocide case brought by South Africa against Israel for its humanitarian crimes in the beleaguered territory.
The verdict, calling on Tel Aviv to prevent genocidal acts in Gaza and facilitate "urgently needed" humanitarian aid into Gaza, has garnered mixed reactions with some censuring the top court for its failure to order a ceasefire, whereas some have commended the development as the forum did recognised and stressed its jurisdiction in the said case — something Israel had opposed from the very start.
Israel must take "immediate and effective measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance to address the adverse conditions of life faced by Palestinians," the court said.
At this stage, the ICJ was not considering whether Israel was actually committing genocide in Gaza — that process would take several years.
But the court warned Israel to "take all measures in its power to prevent" acts that could fall under the UN Genocide Convention, set up in 1948 as the world reeled from the horrors of the Nazi Holocaust.
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