Publish Date: 13 February 2024 - 20:19

S. Africa asks ICJ to weigh Israel's Rafah offensive

South Africa said on Tuesday it had asked the World Court to consider whether Israel's plan to extend its offensive in Gaza into the city of Rafah requires additional emergency measures to protect Palestinians' rights.

South Africa's government has asked the UN court to consider Israel's offensive in Rafah a breach of its provisional order.

Last month, the country brought Israel in front of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague over allegations of genocide in Gaza.

While the UN court didn't order Israel to immediately stop its operations in Gaza, as South Africa demanded, the court handed down a preliminary ruling issuing six orders, including asking Israel to do all it can to prevent the deaths of Palestinian civilians and the destruction of Gaza.

The "urgent request" filed by South Africa asks the ICJ to determine whether Israel’s indication that it would launch a ground offensive in Rafah - where 1.4 million Palestinians have fled to escape fighting - represents a “further imminent breach of the rights of Palestinians in Gaza.”