Top UN court denies South African request for urgent Rafah safeguards

The International Court of Justice rejected a South African request to impose urgent measures to safeguard Rafah in the Gaza Strip, the UN's top court said on Friday.

The International Court of Justice rejected a South African request to impose urgent measures to safeguard Rafah in the Gaza Strip, the UN's top court said on Friday.

Despite the rejection, they stressed that Israel must respect earlier measures imposed late last month at a preliminary stage in a landmark genocide case.

The ICJ said in a statement that the "perilous situation" in Rafah and the rest of the Gaza Strip "demands immediate and effective implementation" of the provisional measures indicted by its court order on Jan. 26, but does not demand the "indication of additional provisional measures."

The world court added that Israel "remains bound to fully comply with its obligations under the Genocide Convention and with the said Order, including by ensuring the safety and security of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip."

The statement cited UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The court noted "the most recent developments in the Gaza Strip, and in Rafah in particular, 'would exponentially increase what is already a humanitarian nightmare with untold regional consequences', as stated by the United Nations Secretary-General."

"The court has affirmed our view that the perilous situation demands immediate & effective implementation of the provisional measures indicated by the Court in its Order of 26 January 2024 … [and] has clarified that this includes #Rafah," Clayson Monyela, the spokesperson for the South African foreign ministry, said on X.