Israel Files Report with International Court of Justice on its Measures in Gaza

A woman holding a child mourns her baby girl who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Palestine, Dec. 1, 2023. (AFP) 
A woman holding a child mourns her baby girl who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Palestine, Dec. 1, 2023. (AFP) 
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Israel Files Report with International Court of Justice on its Measures in Gaza

A woman holding a child mourns her baby girl who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Palestine, Dec. 1, 2023. (AFP) 
A woman holding a child mourns her baby girl who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Palestine, Dec. 1, 2023. (AFP) 

Israel filed on Monday a report with the International Court of Justice about measures taken to comply with an interim ruling that called on it to avoid Gaza war actions that might amount to genocide, an Israeli official said.

The official did not provide details about the report, which was filed hours before the deadline for its submission.

Last month the UN’s top court ordered Israel to refrain from any acts that could fall under the Genocide Convention and to ensure its troops commit no genocidal acts against Palestinians after South Africa accused Israel of state-led genocide. Israel and its Western allies described the allegation as baseless.

In its ruling, the court said Israel specifically had to prevent and punish any public incitements to commit genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and to preserve evidence related to any allegations of genocide there.

It also said it must take measures to improve the humanitarian situation for Palestinian civilians in the enclave.

A final ruling in the case in The Hague could take years.

The latest Gaza war was triggered by an Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack on southern Israeli communities that Israel says left 1,200 killed and 253 taken hostage.

In the months since, Palestinian authorities say Israel has killed nearly 30,000 people in blockaded Gaza, displaced most of its 2.3 million people, caused widespread hunger and disease, and laid waste to much of the territory.



Vatican Cancels Pope’s Weekend Engagements as He Battles ‘Complex’ Infection 

Pedestrians walk past the statue of Pope John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalized for tests and treatment for an infection in Rome, on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
Pedestrians walk past the statue of Pope John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalized for tests and treatment for an infection in Rome, on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
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Vatican Cancels Pope’s Weekend Engagements as He Battles ‘Complex’ Infection 

Pedestrians walk past the statue of Pope John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalized for tests and treatment for an infection in Rome, on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
Pedestrians walk past the statue of Pope John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalized for tests and treatment for an infection in Rome, on February 18, 2025. (AFP)

Pope Francis, who began his fifth day in hospital on Tuesday for what doctors have described as a "complex" respiratory infection, will not take part in this weekend's Holy Year events, the Vatican said on Tuesday.

The 88-year-old pontiff has been suffering from a respiratory infection for more than a week and was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital on Friday.

A planned public papal audience set for Saturday had been cancelled "due to the health condition of the Holy Father", the Vatican said in a brief statement.

A papal mass scheduled for Sunday will still take place, but will be led instead by a senior Vatican official, it added.

The Vatican said on Monday that doctors had changed the pope's drug therapy for the second time during his hospital stay to tackle a "complex clinical situation". They described it as a "polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tract".

Doctors say polymicrobial diseases can be caused by a mix of viruses, bacteria and fungi.

Francis, who has been pontiff since 2013, has had influenza and other health problems several times over the past two years. As a young adult he developed pleurisy and had part of one lung removed, and in recent times has been prone to lung infections.