United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in an interview with Japanese television channel NHK, speaking about the IDF military operation in Gaza, said: “The level of destruction is absolutely unacceptable.”
“The problem is that the military operation is carried out in such a way that the number of civilian casualties and the destruction of civilian infrastructure is unprecedented,” Guterres said.
“International law and international humanitarian law, the rule of law must be a priority, the decisions of the International Court must be respected. This is not an opinion, but a decision that has force. Israel must comply with this decision,” the UN Secretary General believes.
On May 24, the International Court of Justice in The Hague announced its decision on South Africa’s claim for an injunction to continue the war in Gaza. As expected, the court demanded an end to the military operation in Rafah. “Israel is obliged to immediately cease military operations and any actions in the Rafah area that could have a negative impact on the civilian population of the city,” the court decision said. The court also demanded that Israel immediately open the Rafah crossing and provide access to Gaza to representatives of any investigative body chosen by the United Nations. Within one month, Israel is required to report on the measures it has taken. 13 votes were cast in favor of the decision, representatives of Israel and Uganda voted against.
Documents previously released by the International Court of Justice said South Africa blamed Israel for the “irreparable damage” caused by the deployment of troops in Rafah. The lawsuit states that Israel has taken control of the Rafah border crossing and controls the Kerem Shalom crossing, which threatens the flow of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and the ability of hospitals to function.
Israel categorically denies these accusations, emphasizing that no restrictions were imposed on the volume of humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip, and the operation in Rafah is carried out with pinpoint precision and is aimed only at Hamas militants.