United Nations chief stresses Security Council World Court’s ‘binding’ order to Israel to halt attacks in Rafah

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has taken note of the International Court of Justice’s new order to Israel to stop its military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah and to open the Egyptian border crossing for aid, his spokesperson said, adding that the ruling was being transmitted to the UN Security Council for action.

International Court of Justice's new provisional measures follow a request from South Africa in a pending case accusing Israel of violating its obligations under the Genocide Convention.

Further, he said, the Secretary-General takes note of the Court’s order to Israel to maintain open the Rafah crossing for unhindered provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance. “He also notes the Court’s instruction to Israel to take effective measures to ensure the unimpeded access to the Gaza Strip of investigative bodies mandated by competent organs of the United Nations to investigate allegations of genocide,” the spokesperson said