The Israeli military continued on Saturday to bombard Gaza, including Rafah, following the International Court of Justice’s order for Israel to immediately suspend its military operations in Rafah. Efforts are underway in Paris to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, according to the French Press Agency.
The International Court of Justice, the highest judicial authority of the United Nations and whose decisions are legally binding but lack enforcement mechanisms, also ordered Israel to keep the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza open. This crossing has been closed since the launch of Israel’s ground operation in the province earlier in May.
Israel stated that it “has not and will not carry out military operations in the Rafah area that could lead to conditions of life that could cause the complete or partial destruction of Palestinian civilians.” Meanwhile, Hamas welcomed the court’s decision but expressed disappointment that it did not cover the entire Gaza Strip, only the Rafah province.
Following the court’s ruling on Friday, Israeli shelling of Gaza and clashes between the Israeli military and Hamas’ armed wing continued. On Saturday morning, Palestinian witnesses and teams from the French Press Agency reported Israeli airstrikes on Rafah (south) and Deir al-Balah (center).
A Gaza resident displaced by violence in Deir al-Balah, Um Mohammed, told the agency, “We hope the court’s decision will pressure Israel to end this genocidal war; there is nothing left here.” In the same city, Mohammed Saleh told the French agency, “Israel considers itself above the law; therefore, I do not believe that the firing or the war can stop by any means other than force.”
Palestinian Al-Aqsa TV reported today that four people were killed and others injured after the Israeli military targeted a house north of the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza. The Gaza Health Ministry announced yesterday, Friday, that the number of Palestinian casualties in the Israeli war on the sector since October 7th had risen to 35,857 killed and 80,011 injured.
Peace Talks in Paris
Following South Africa’s accusation of Israel committing “genocide,” the International Court of Justice also ordered Israel to “keep the Rafah crossing open to allow the provision of essential services and the much-needed humanitarian aid without obstacles and in large quantities.”
Earlier this week, the International Criminal Court’s prosecutor called for arrest warrants against three Hamas leaders and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defense minister. Despite the Israeli government’s criticism of the prosecutor’s announcement, it instructed its negotiators to “return to the negotiation table in order to achieve the release of hostages.”
Negotiations, paused since early May, showed signs of possibly resuming to broker a ceasefire in Gaza that includes the release of hostages and Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons. Washington, Doha, and Cairo are mediating between the warring parties. The latest round of negotiations faltered amid a military escalation in Rafah and Hamas’ insistence on a permanent ceasefire.
French President Emmanuel Macron discussed the situation in Gaza and the pursuit of a “two-state solution” with the Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Friday evening, as announced by the French presidency.
