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fullscreen The Peace Palace that houses the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague. Archive image. Photo: Peter Dejong/AP/TT
South Africa is asking the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to impose new emergency measures against Israel over what it describes as the “widespread famine” in Gaza.
It is the second time that South Africa has asked the court for further measures. The former, which dealt with urgent measures to protect the border town of Rafah, was denied.
In January, the ICJ ordered Israel to prevent acts that could constitute genocide in Gaza.
South Africa now says it is “forced to return to the court” in light of new information and changes in the situation in Gaza.
The UN food program WFP has previously warned that mass starvation is imminent in northern Gaza, and food shortages are severe in the strip.
The ICJ is the highest court of the UN and its decisions are legally binding, but the possibilities to ensure that the decisions are complied with are limited in practice.