Human Rights Now Statement on the Situation in Gaza
Human Rights Now welcomes the order of additional provisional measures against Israel by the International Court of Justice, expresses grave concern about the circumstances that made the order necessary, and demands that the Israeli government fully implement these measures. We also call on the Japanese government and the international community to take concrete action to realize an immediate ceasefire and alleviate the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza.
On 28 March 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an order[1] reaffirming the provisional measures to prevent genocide specified in its previous order against Israel on 26 January 2024,[2] and adding new, more concrete provisional measures. The order states that in conformity with its obligations under the Genocide Convention and “in view of the worsening conditions of life faced by Palestinians in Gaza, in particular the spread of famine and starvation,” Israel is required to:
- Take all necessary and effective measures to ensure, without delay, in full co-operation with the United Nations, the unhindered provision at scale of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance, including by increasing the capacity and number of land crossing points and maintaining them open for as long as necessary; and
- Ensure with immediate effect that its military does not commit acts which constitute a violation of the rights of the Palestinians in Gaza as a protected group under the Genocide Convention, including by preventing the delivery of humanitarian assistance.
Human Rights Now welcomes the ICJ’s order of the above measures, and expresses grave concern that the initial provisional measures ordered in January were not implemented by Israel, resulting in severe deterioration of conditions and a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
Background
On 26 January 2024, the ICJ ordered provisional measures against Israel to prevent genocide in Gaza. At that time, Human Rights Now issued a statement welcoming the ICJ order, demanding that Israel fully implement it, and calling on Japan and the international community to realize an immediate ceasefire and prevent genocide in Gaza.[3] Since then, Israel has continued to violate the order and carry out acts that may amount to genocide.
The humanitarian situation for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip continues to deteriorate, with the ongoing killing of civilians, attacks on hospitals, and starvation caused by Israel’s refusal to allow aid shipments into the territory. Since October 27, at least 32,552 people have been killed in Gaza, including more than 13,000 children and 8,400 women, and over 74,980 have been injured, including 8,663 children and 6,327 women, while the whereabouts of more than 8,000 people remain unknown (figures as of 28 March).[4] On March 15, UNICEF reported that one in three infants under the age of two in northern Gaza are acutely malnourished, double the number in January.[5]
Israel Must Respect its Obligations and the International Community Must Take Action
Human Rights Now demands that Israel immediately comply with both ICJ orders. We also call on the Japanese government and the international community to take concrete action, including economic and diplomatic sanctions against Israel, to realize an immediate ceasefire and alleviate the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza.
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[1] Press release: https://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/192/192-20240328-pre-01-00-en.pdf;
Order: https://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/192/192-20240328-ord-01-00-en.pdf
[2] https://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/192/192-20240126-ord-01-00-en.pdf
[3] https://hrn.or.jp/news/25183/
[4] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2023/10/9/israel-hamas-war-in-maps-and-charts-live-tracker
[5] https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/acute-malnutrition-has-doubled-one-month-north-gaza-strip-unicef