Israel Strikes Gaza’s Rafah after Top UN Court Orders it to Halt Offensive

Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, 24 May 2024. EPA/HAITHAM IMAD
Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, 24 May 2024. EPA/HAITHAM IMAD
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Israel Strikes Gaza’s Rafah after Top UN Court Orders it to Halt Offensive

Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, 24 May 2024. EPA/HAITHAM IMAD
Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, 24 May 2024. EPA/HAITHAM IMAD

Israel bombed the Gaza Strip, including Rafah, on Saturday, a day after the top UN court ordered it to halt military operations in the southern city.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) also demanded the immediate release of all hostages still held by Palestinian militants, hours after the Israeli military announced troops had recovered the bodies of three more of the captives from northern Gaza.

The Hague-based court, whose orders are legally binding but lack direct enforcement mechanisms, also ordered Israel to keep open the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza, which it closed earlier this month at the start of its assault on the city.

Israel gave no indication it was preparing to change course in Rafah, insisting that the court had got it wrong.

"Israel has not and will not carry out military operations in the Rafah area that create living conditions that could cause the destruction of the Palestinian civilian population, in whole or in part," National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said in a joint statement with Israel's foreign ministry spokesman.

Hours after the ICJ ruling, Israel carried out strikes on the Gaza Strip early Saturday while clashes between the Israeli army and the armed wing of Hamas continued.

Palestinian witnesses and AFP teams reported Israeli strikes in Rafah and the central city of Deir al-Balah.



Israel Conducts Military Operation in Jenin, 5 Palestinians Killed

Mourners carry the body of a Palestinian who was killed by Israeli forces, during his funeral in Jenin camp in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. July 3, 2024. REUTERS /Raneen Sawafta
Mourners carry the body of a Palestinian who was killed by Israeli forces, during his funeral in Jenin camp in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. July 3, 2024. REUTERS /Raneen Sawafta
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Israel Conducts Military Operation in Jenin, 5 Palestinians Killed

Mourners carry the body of a Palestinian who was killed by Israeli forces, during his funeral in Jenin camp in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. July 3, 2024. REUTERS /Raneen Sawafta
Mourners carry the body of a Palestinian who was killed by Israeli forces, during his funeral in Jenin camp in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. July 3, 2024. REUTERS /Raneen Sawafta

The Israeli military said Friday it was conducting a raid that included an airstrike in the area of the West Bank city of Jenin. Palestinian authorities said five people were killed.

The military said Israeli soldiers had “encircled a building where terrorists have barricaded themselves in” and the soldiers were exchanging fire, while an airstrike had “struck several armed terrorists” in the area.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said five people died but did not provide any information on their identities. No further details were immediately available from either side.

The clashes in Jenin came a day after an Israeli anti-settlement monitoring group said the government plans to build nearly 5,300 new homes in settlements in the occupied West Bank.

The construction plans revealed by the Peace Now group are part of the hard-line government’s efforts to beef up settlements as part of a strategy of cementing Israel’s control over the West Bank to prevent a future Palestinian state. 

Violence has spiraled in the West Bank since the start of Israel’s war in Gaza. The war has so far killed more than 38,000 Palestinians, Gaza’s Health Ministry says.