Benjamin Netanyahu
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accepted new Gaza cease-fire talks on Friday, a day after the world’s top court ordered Israel to ensure that essential humanitarian aid reaches Palestinians in the region.
Despite a binding United Nations Security Council decision demanding an immediate ceasefire this week, fighting resumed Friday, even near hospitals.
Regional ramifications from the conflict also flared, with Israel claiming to have killed a Hezbollah rocket commander in Lebanon and many Hezbollah fighters killed in Syria attacks blamed on Israel by a war monitor.
Netanyahu’s office stated that new talks on a Gaza truce and hostage release will take place in Doha and Cairo “in the coming days… with guidelines for moving forward in the negotiations,” days after they looked to be stopped.
In its order, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague stated, “Palestinians in Gaza are no longer facing only a risk of famine, but… famine is setting in”.
Philippe Lazzarini, the chief of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, said that the verdict was a stark reminder that the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is man-made and worsening.
The court ruled in January that Israel must provide urgently needed humanitarian supplies to Gaza and prevent genocidal acts, but Israel rejected South Africa’s argument.
The newest binding ICJ order, which has few enforcement options, came as Israel’s military said Friday that it would continue operations in Al-Shifa Hospital, the territory’s largest, for the 12th day.
Several individuals were murdered overnight across the coastal region, according to the health ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza.
Twelve people were killed in a residence in the southern city of Rafah, which has been repeatedly blasted ahead of a planned Israeli ground operation there.
The International Court of Justice ordered Israel to take all necessary and effective measures to ensure, without delay, the supply of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance.
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