UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged all parties to abide by the judgment of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on provisional measures in the conflict in Gaza.

The ICJ in The Hague on Friday handed down its first judgment in a landmark case brought by SA that also ordered Israel to allow humanitarian access to the Palestinian territory.

Pretoria has accused Israel of breaching the 1948 UN Genocide Convention – set up in the aftermath of the holocaust – during its military campaign in Gaza, sparked by the October 7 attacks by Hamas. 

News24 reports that the outpouring of international reaction to the ruling suggested that Israel will be under significant pressure to comply and that the US would find itself isolated at the UN if it seeks to block enforcement of the ICJ order.

Guterres will also refer the court decision to the UN Security Council which is expected to address the matter this week.

The ICJ on Friday ordered Israel to take measures to prevent the commission of acts within the scope of Article II of the Convention, including killing, causing serious bodily or mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the group’s destruction and imposing measures intended to prevent births.

IoL reports that spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said Guterres noted that the court also asked Israel to ensure that humanitarian assistance is delivered to the people of Gaza.

‘The Secretary-General recalls that, pursuant to the Charter and to the Statute of the Court, decisions of the court are binding and trusts that all parties will duly comply with the Order from the Court. In accordance with the Statute of the Court, the Secretary-General will promptly transmit the notice of the provisional measures ordered by the court to the Security Council,’ said Dujarric.

Full News24 report

Full IoL report