ICJ order today to halt Rafah offensive

THE HAGUE, May 23 (Reuters/AFP): The International Court of Justice (ICJ) will rule on Friday on South Africa's request to order a halt to Israel's Rafah offensive in Gaza, it said on Thursday.

Last week, South Africa had asked the ICJ, also known as the World Court, to order a halt to Israel's offensive in Gaza, and in Rafah in particular, to ensure the survival of the Palestinian people.

The demand for such an emergency measure is part of a larger case brought before the Hague-based court by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide.

Israel has denounced South Africa's claim that it is violating the 1948 Genocide Convention, saying this makes a mockery of the crime of genocide.

The court has previously rejected Israel's demand to throw out the case and has ordered it to prevent acts of genocide against the Palestinians, while stopping short of ordering a halt to Israeli military operations.

South Africa asked for additional emergency measures to protect Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians have been sheltering. It also asked the panel of 15 permanent judges to order Israel to allow unimpeded access to Gaza for UN officials, organisations providing humanitarian aid, journalists and investigators.

Israel launched its assault on Gaza erupted after Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct 7, killing 1,200 people and seizing over 250 hostages according to Israeli tallies. Over 35,000 Palestinians have since been killed in the Israeli assault on Gaza, with at least 10,000 more missing, Gaza's health ministry says.

On Monday, the prosecutor at the International Criminal Court, a separate court also based in The Hague, said he had requested arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his defence chief and three Hamas leaders over alleged war crimes.

26 killed in Gaza in Israeli air strikes

Gaza's civil defence agency said two pre-dawn Israeli air strikes on Thursday killed 26 people in Gaza City, amid fierce battles between troops and militants across the Palestinian territory.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, while AFP was unable to independently verify the details of the two reported strikes.

Civil Defence Agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that one strike hit a family's house, killing 16 people, while 10 others died when a mosque was struck in the second strike.

Bassal said the dead included at least 15 children, including 10 who were killed when their family's house was hit in the Al-Daraj neighbourhood of Gaza City.

Five children died when their school inside a mosque complex was hit, he said, adding that rescue teams had pulled out several wounded from the strikes.