MONITORING (SW) – The UN chief Antonio Guterres said he hopes Israel will “duly comply” with the ruling from the International Court of Justice ordering it to take action to prevent acts of genocide being carried out in war-torn Gaza.
Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the Secretary General told reporters in New York that Guterres had taken note of the orders from the UN’s top court, which made the ruling as part of a genocide case brought by South Africa.
In the statement, Guterres reiterated the legally binding nature of ICJ decisions, adding that he trusts “that all parties will duly comply with the Order from the Court.”
The UN chief has repeatedly called for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, expressing deep concern about the “unprecedented” number of civilian casualties and the “catastrophic” humanitarian situation in the enclave.
A landmark case: In a rebuke of Israel, the ICJ on Friday said Israel must “take all measures” to limit the death and destruction caused by its campaign in Gaza but stopped short of calling for a ceasefire.
The ICJ’s decisions are binding and cannot be appealed, but it has no way of enforcing them. Israel previously indicated it would not abide by the ruling.
Netanyahu hails ICJ ruling as rejection of “discrimination” against Israel
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday hailed the preliminary International Court of Justice ruling on South Africa’s accusation of genocide as a rejection of discrimination against his country.
“Like every country, Israel has an inherent right to defend itself,” he said in a short video message.
“The vile attempt to deny Israel this fundamental right is blatant discrimination against the Jewish state, and it was justly rejected.”
Australia temporarily pauses funding UN agency after allegations of staff’s role in October 7 attacks
Australia is “temporarily” pausing “disbursement of recent funding” to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) following allegations that its staff were involved in the October 7 terror attacks on Israel.
“Allegations UNRWA staff were involved in the abhorrent October 7 terror attacks are deeply concerning,” Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a statement posted Saturday on X, formerly Twitter.
She added that while “Australia welcomes UNRWA’s swift response,” it will “temporarily pause disbursement of recently announced funding” as Canberra engages “closely with UNRWA on investigations” and consults international partners.
UNRWA does vital, life saving work,” Wong said.
She added that “Australia will continue to support the people of Gaza and work to provide humanitarian assistance,” and reiterated Canberra’s call for “civilians to be protected, and for humanitarian access.”
On Friday, UNRWA – the main UN agency operating in Gaza – said that Israel had accused some of its staff of being involved in the October 7 attacks, and that their contracts would be “immediately” terminated.
The US also announced it was pausing funding in the wake of the allegations.
UN warns of declining humanitarian access in Gaza as Israeli protesters block aid trucks from entering through Kerem Shalom
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is warning of the repercussions of declining humanitarian access in parts of Gaza and the blocking of aid at the Kerem Abu Salem/Kerem Shalom border crossing on Thursday and Friday.
“On January 25 and January 26, Israeli protesters blocked aid trucks from accessing Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing,” OCHA said in a statement early Saturday, adding that the trucks carrying food, flour, tents, and hygiene items were not able to enter the strip.
“The inability to deliver food, water and medical aid will exacerbate the already dire humanitarian situation of those in need of assistance,” it said.
The protests were organized by families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza in order to stop aid getting into the strip through Kerem Shalom until the return of all abductees
“Representatives of the families of the abductees arrived at the Kerem Shalom crossing and prevented trucks carrying a lot of aid to Hamas from entering the Gaza Strip,” the Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum spokesperson Haim Rubinstein said in a statement on Friday.
“This is the third day that the families physically prevent the transfer of aid to Hamas.”
Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) confirmed to CNN that no trucks had entered Gaza through Kerem Shalom on Thursday or Friday due to the protests.
Meanwhile, OCHA said that only about 15 percent (eight out of 51) of humanitarian aid missions planned for northern Gaza between January 1-25 were facilitated, while 29 were denied.
The remaining missions included two that were partially facilitated, four postponed, and eight impeded due to unpassable routes and “excessive delays” at checkpoints.
During the same period, OCHA says 63 percent (55 out of 87) of humanitarian aid missions to Gaza’s middle area were facilitated, with 22 missions denied and 10 others postponed.
“This [declining access] has been an emerging trend since January 12 where increased military activity is hindering humanitarian movements both to and from hospitals and humanitarian sites,” OCHA said.
The head of the UN Human Rights Office Ajith Sunghay further warned on Friday of the deteriorating conditions in the southern governorate of Rafah, where 1.3 million Palestinians are sheltering.
“I saw displaced people who had been ordered by Israeli authorities to leave their homes, with no provision for their accommodation, literally living on the street, with sewage running in the streets and conditions of desperation conducive to a complete breakdown in order,” Sunghay said in a statement.
“Humanitarian aid needs to be delivered without impediment to all those who need it.”
