Israel’s Netanyahu defiant after UN court ruling as deaths in Gaza offensive continue
- The ICJ ruling stopped short of ordering a ceasefire, but was in part a rebuke of Israel’s conduct in its nearly four-month war against Hamas
- Despite the court’s order to limit death and destruction, at least 174 Palestinians were killed over the past day, according to the Gaza health ministry
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday pushed back after the International Court of Justice ruling to limit death and destruction in the military’s Gaza offensive, declaring that “we decide and act according to what is required for our security”.
Among the first deaths reported since the ruling, witnesses said three Palestinians were killed in an air strike that Israel said targeted a Hamas commander.
Israel’s military is under increasing scrutiny now that the top United Nations court has asked Israel for a compliance report in a month. The court’s binding ruling on Friday stopped short of ordering a ceasefire, but its orders were in part a rebuke of Israel’s conduct in its nearly four-month war against Gaza’s Hamas rulers.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, the main organisation aiding Gaza’s population amid the humanitarian disaster, said nine countries suspended their funding following Israel’s allegations that a number of Gaza staff members took part in the October 7 Hamas attack that sparked the war. Those include the United States, Britain, Italy and Finland.
Agency chief Philippe Lazzarini said it would be “immensely irresponsible” to sanction it and the community it serves at such a desperate time for Gazans, especially after it quickly fired the “small group” of staff. The 13,000-strong agency, which relies almost entirely on countries’ contributions, said it now runs shelters for over 1 million people and its lifeline “can collapse anytime now”.