Israeli human rights organizations accuse Netanyahu's government of not adhering to the international justice's decision

Twelve of Israel's most prominent human rights organizations have signed an open letter accusing Israel of not complying with the International Court of Justice ruling that it must facilitate humanitarian access to Gaza.

The court in The Hague ordered Israel to implement a number of legal requirements when it issued a temporary ruling in late January in response to a complaint by South Africa, which accuses it of committing genocide in its military campaign in Gaza.

The requirements included taking all measures to prevent intentional harm to civilians, facilitate immediate humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, prevent and punish direct or overt incitement to genocide, and preserve evidence of any unlawful acts committed during the war against Hamas.

The human rights organizations said in their letter that Israel is legally obligated to implement the measures ordered by the court, but it has so far failed to do so. The signatories to the letter include the military whistleblower group Breaking the Silence and the Association for Civil Rights in Israel.

The letter pointed out that “the International Court of Justice’s order is a legal obligation to end the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. It must be adhered to, not only to alleviate the urgent suffering of civilians but for the sake of humanity as a whole,” adding that “the International Court of Justice urged Hamas to release all Israeli hostages immediately and without delay.” Restriction or condition.

The message appeared at a time when the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, repeated his call for a truce in the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. He called for the release of hostages held by Hamas and the removal of “all obstacles to ensuring the rapid and widespread delivery of life-saving aid” to Gaza, where the United Nations has warned that a quarter of the population is on the brink of famine.

Israel faces renewed pressure due to the lack of humanitarian aid reaching Gaza. The United States and other countries airdropped aid into the Gaza Strip, and Washington announced that it would build a temporary naval pier on the Gaza coast and would also open, with European Union countries, a sea corridor to Gaza.