Top U.N. Court Orders Israel to End Rafah Operation

The International Court of Justice on Friday ruled that Israel must immediately halt its ground assault on Rafah, dealing another blow to Israel as the country faces increasing international isolation.

While the court has no means of enforcing its orders, the ruling adds to the condemnation that Israel has faced over the war, in which more than 35,000 people in Gaza have died, according to health authorities in the enclave.

A South African legal team urged the United Nations’ top court last week to put further constraints on Israel’s incursion there, saying it was “the last step in the destruction of Gaza and its people.”

The South African team also argued that Israel’s control over the two major border crossings in southern Gaza, at Rafah and Kerem Shalom, was preventing enough aid from getting in, plunging Gaza into “unprecedented levels of humanitarian need.”

The decision by the International Court of Justice will come after the chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court, also based in The Hague, said on Monday he had requested arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, along with three top leaders of Hamas, on charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes.