Israeli officials on Saturday stated that the recent International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling, which orders an immediate halt to military operations in Rafah, Gaza, still permits some forms of military action. This interpretation comes after the World Court issued an emergency ruling [1] in response to allegations by South Africa accusing Israel of committing genocide in its ongoing conflict with Hamas in Gaza.
During an interview with Israel’s N12 TV, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, emphasized that the court’s directive was against committing genocide, which Israel firmly denies ever doing. “What they are asking us is not to commit genocide in Rafah. We did not commit genocide, and we will not commit genocide. According to international law, we have the right to defend ourselves, and the evidence is that the court is not preventing us from continuing to defend ourselves,” Hanegbi stated, suggesting that defensive measures in Rafah could continue under the court’s current ruling.
The ruling, articulated by ICJ President Nawaf Salam, specified that “the state of Israel shall … immediately halt its military offensive, and any other action in the Rafah governorate, which may inflict on the Palestinian group in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part.” Israeli officials argue that this language does not categorically prohibit all military actions, particularly those necessary for national defense.