Doctors Without Borders applauds ICJ order for Israel to halt Rafah offensive, reopen border crossing

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) welcomes International Court of Justice (ICJ) mandating Israel to halt its Rafah offensive and reopen the Rafah border crossing

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) announced on Friday that a recent ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) mandating Israel to cease its Rafah offensive and reopen the Rafah border crossing underscores the severe humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.

“Today’s decision by the International Court of Justice (#ICJ) ordering #Israel to halt its offensive on #Rafah in southern Gaza and to reopen the Rafah crossing is another confirmation of how catastrophic the situation is and of the desperate need for humanitarian aid to be scaled up immediately,” the medical charity stated on X.

MSF has been advocating for an immediate and sustained ceasefire, emphasizing the “disastrous consequences” of the Rafah offensive since its initial announcement in February.

“We continue to call for an immediate and sustained ceasefire for all of Gaza, as it is the only way to stop the indiscriminate killing of civilians and allow for the substantial provision and delivery of aid on a meaningful scale, which is needed now more than ever throughout the Strip,” MSF added.

The ICJ, in its Friday ruling, reinforced its previous orders from January 26 and March 28, instructing Israel to “immediately halt its military offensive, and any other action” in Rafah that could lead to the physical destruction of the Palestinian population in Gaza.

Additionally, Israel has been ordered to “maintain open the Rafah crossing for unhindered provision at scale of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance” and to “take effective measures to ensure the unimpeded access to the Gaza Strip of any commission of inquiry, fact-finding mission or other investigative body mandated by competent organs of the United Nations to investigate allegations of genocide.”

Source: AA