The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has called on Israel to prevent actions that could amount to genocide in the midst of its conflict in Gaza. However, it did not explicitly demand a ceasefire in the ongoing legal proceedings initiated by South Africa.

Judge Joan E Donoghue stated, "Some of Israel's actions and inactions in Gaza seem to potentially violate the genocide convention. Therefore, the court believes it has the authority to consider the case under Article 9 of the Genocide Convention... The court cannot reject Israel's request to address the application."

Although a ruling from the ICJ carries legal weight, enforcing it can be challenging. Legal experts suggest that it might take years to reach a final decision on whether Israel is indeed committing genocide against Palestinians.

Key points from the verdict include:

Judge Donoghue acknowledged that certain actions attributed to Israel in Gaza could fall within the scope of the Genocide Convention as claimed by South Africa.
The ICJ granted standing to South Africa in the case and supported its plea for interim measures against Israel, rejecting Israel's request to dismiss the application.

The court affirmed that Palestinians are considered a protected group under the Genocide Convention and recognized the plausibility of the rights South Africa seeks to protect, particularly emphasizing the right of Palestinians in Gaza to be shielded from genocide.

Israel has been instructed to ensure its military refrains from actions that could be considered genocidal and to prosecute any instigation of such behavior. Additionally, Israel must take steps to penalize any public incitements to genocide.

The ICJ also demanded that Israel allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.

Israel, under the leadership of Benjamin Netanyahu, has been given one month to report back to the ICJ. Furthermore, the UN body has required Israel to preserve evidence related to actions impacting the Genocide Convention.

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