The UN Supreme Court rendered decisions in a case that has garnered international attention on Friday, declaring that Israel must stop crimes of genocide in Gaza and allow “urgently needed” humanitarian aid to enter the beleaguered region.
Although the court found that the issue is within its purview, it did not order a ceasefire, which drew praise and criticism from the opposing parties.
The court refrained from imposing a ceasefire, instead pleading with Israel to desist from any potential acts of genocide while it continues its armed campaign in the Gaza Strip.
Israel has to take “immediate and effective measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance to address the adverse conditions of life faced by Palestinians,” the judge stated.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) would need to evaluate whether Israel was truly committing genocide in Gaza before making that determination at this time.
However, while the world reeled from the horrors of the Nazi Holocaust, the court cautioned Israel to “take all measures in its power to prevent” conduct that might come under the purview of the 1948 UN Genocide Convention.
