THE HAGUE: The top UN court said it would hold hearings on Thursday and Friday over South Africa's request to impose emergency orders on Israel to halt its Rafah offensive.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague will hear lawyers from South Africa on Thursday, followed by Israel's response the next day, it said in a statement.
Earlier this month, Pretoria petitioned the ICJ for so-called provisional measures over the incursion into Rafah, asking the court to order Israel to "immediately withdraw and cease its military offensive."
It also requested the court to order Israel to take "all effective measures" to facilitate the "unimpeded" access of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Nearly 450,000 Palestinians have been newly displaced from Rafah in recent days, and around 100,000 from northern Gaza, according to UN agencies, which warn that "no place is safe" in the territory.
Ground fighting and heavy Israeli bombardments have been reported recently around Rafah as well as in Gaza City and Jabalia refugee camp in the north and Nuseirat camp in the centre.
Countries worldwide, as well as top UN officials, have warned that a full-out assault on Rafah could have a disastrous impact on the thousands of refugees driven there by fighting elsewhere in Gaza.
In a ruling in mid-January that made headlines worldwide, the ICJ ordered Israel to do everything it could to prevent genocide during its Gaza offensive.
The court also ruled that Israel must allow aid into Gaza to ease the desperate humanitarian situation there.
South Africa says that Israel is acting in contravention of the 1948 UN Genocide Convention, claims strongly denied by Israel.
The court rejected a second South African application for emergency measures over Israel's threat to attack Rafah. South Africa made a new request in early March.
Pretoria's argument is that the latest offensive on Rafah has changed the situation on the ground and that the court needs to alter its orders in response. — AFP
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
