World Court orders Israel to prevent genocide against Palestinians 

The World Court ordered Israel to stop the acts of mass murder against Palestinians on Friday and provide more assistance to civilians. However, it stopped short of ordering a ceasefire as requested by the plaintiff, South Africa. 

The ruling dashed Palestinian hopes for an order to end the war in Gaza and was also a legal setback for Israel. It had hoped to dismiss a case brought under the Genocide Convention, established in the ashes of the Holocaust. 

Further, the court found that a hearing should be held on whether Palestinian rights were being denied in the war, which it said was causing grave humanitarian losses. 

It also called on Palestinian armed groups to release hostages taken in attacks on Israel on October 7, which further resulted in a rapid increase in the conflict. 

While discussing the equality of the law, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said the decision was a welcome reminder: “No state is above the law.” 

According to the reports, the Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri added that the decision would contribute to ‘isolating the occupation and exposing its crimes in Gaza.’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the court had “rightly rejected the outrageous demand” to deny Israel its “basic right to defend itself” by ordering it to stop fighting.”

But the claim that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians is not only false, it is outrageous, and the court’s willingness to even discuss it is a disgrace that will not be erased for generations,” he added. 

Additionally, last week, Gaza received medicinal aid for Israel hostages and a consignment of relief supplies for Palestinians. The aid has been given under an agreement settled by Qatar and France. 

As per the sources, the UN humanitarians have warned the level of support for many Gazans is now ‘Almost Catastrophic.’

Moreover, it is reported that more than 160 Gazans died in January till date, and another 350 were injured due to ongoing bombardment and heavy clashes in Gaza. 

OCHA remarked that over 24,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war started.