Categories: Global

Hamas says would abide by Gaza ceasefire if ruled by top UN court

GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories (AFP) : Palestinian militant group Hamas said Thursday it would abide by a ceasefire in its war with Israel in Gaza if the UN’s top court ordered one and Israel did the same.

The International Court of Justice is due to hand down its landmark ruling on Friday in the case brought by South Africa against Israel over alleged genocide in Gaza.

“In case The Hague-based ICJ issues a ruling to ceasefire, the Hamas movement will abide by it as long as the enemy does the same,” Hamas said in a statement.

South Africa has alleged that Israel stands in breach of the United Nations’ Genocide Convention, signed in 1948 as the world’s response to the Holocaust.

Pretoria wants the ICJ to issue so-called “provisional measures,” emergency orders to protect Palestinians in Gaza from potential breaches of the convention.

Orders from the ICJ, which rules in disputes between countries, are legally binding and cannot be appealed.

However, the court has little power to enforce its verdicts — for example it ordered Russia to stop its invasion of Ukraine one month after it began, to no avail.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has already hinted he would not feel bound by any ICJ order.

“No one will stop us — not The Hague, not the Axis of Evil and no one else,” he said on January 14, referring to the Iran-aligned “axis of resistance” groups in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen.

If the ceasefire verdict is ordered, Hamas will also release Israeli captives it holds in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails, the group said.

It also called for an end to the ongoing Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip, which the group rules, and for allowing humanitarian aid and reconstruction materials into the territory.

The war erupted when Hamas and other militants from Gaza launched an unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel which resulted in about 1,140 deaths, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.

Some 250 Israelis and foreigners were also dragged to Gaza during the attack, of which around 132 are still captive, according to Israeli officials.

Israel in response vowed to crush Hamas and launched a relentless military offensive that the Palestinian territory’s health ministry says has killed at least 25,900 people, about 70 percent of them women and children.

The Frontier Post

Recent Posts

Noncitizen voting, already illegal in federal elections, becomes a centerpiece of 2024 GOP messaging

NEW YORK (AP): One political party is holding urgent news conferences and congressional hearings over…

2 hours ago

Fighting rages in Gaza’s Rafah

GAZA (AFP): Heavy clashes and bombardment Saturday rocked Gaza's southern city of Rafah, witnesses said,…

3 hours ago

Austria to resume aid to UN agency for Palestinians

VIENNA (AFP): Austria said Saturday it will restore its funding to the UN agency for…

3 hours ago

Oil tanker hit by missile off Yemen: security firm

DUBAI (AFP): A crude oil tanker was hit by a missile off the coast of…

3 hours ago

North Korea confirms missile launch, Kim Jong Un vows bolstered nuclear force

PYONGYANG (AFP): North Korea has test-fired a tactical ballistic missile equipped with a "new autonomous…

3 hours ago

Israeli leaders split over post-war Gaza governance

JERUSALEM (AFP): New divisions have emerged among Israel’s leaders over post-war Gaza’s governance, with an…

3 hours ago

This website uses cookies.