Türkiye urges ‘swift’ implementation of ICJ ruling on Rafah

Türkiye expects the immediate implementation of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) order for Israel to halt its attacks in Rafah, located in Palestine's southern Gaza.

"No country in the world is above the law. We expect all the decisions taken by the Court to be swiftly implemented by Israel. To achieve this, we invite the UN Security Council to do its part," a foreign ministry statement said on Friday, welcoming the ICJ order.

Earlier, the international court ordered Israel to halt its military offensive in Rafah, open the Rafah crossing, and allow access to international fact-finding missions.

In a later statement, Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said the ICJ order was “important but insufficient to end the blood and tears flowing in Palestine."

"Israel must stop acting as a terrorist organization and fulfil the requirements of international law," he said, adding that "countries and international organisations that believe in democracy and human rights should also take action to ensure that Israel complies with the decisions."

Tunc further underlined that Türkiye will continue to stand by the innocent people of Palestine in their just cause, holding Israel responsible against the international community to ensure that a ceasefire is declared and Israeli officials are punished for their atrocities that amount to genocide.

Rafah: main route for aid inflow

Israel has continued its relentless offensive on Gaza since October 7, 2023, despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in the enclave.

More than seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

At least 35,800 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 80,200 others injured since last October following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

Israel launched its assault on the southern city of Rafah this month, forcing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to flee a city that had become a refuge to around half of the population's 2.3 million people.

Rafah, on Gaza's southern edge, has also been the main route for aid inflow, and international organisations say the Israeli operation has cut off the enclave and raised the risk of famine.

Emergency measures

South Africa's lawyers asked the ICJ last week to impose emergency measures, saying Israel's attacks on Rafah must be stopped to ensure the survival of the Palestinian people.

A decision against Israel could heap more diplomatic pressure on the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court - a separate court also based in The Hague - announced on Monday he had filed an application for arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as leaders of Hamas.

Prosecutor Karim Khan accused Netanyahu and Gallant of crimes including extermination, using hunger as a weapon and deliberately attacking civilians. Israel strongly denied those charges and called on allies to repudiate the court.

South Africa's wider case at the ICJ accuses Israel of orchestrating a state-led genocide against the Palestinian people.

The ICJ has not ruled on the substance of that accusation - this could take years - but has rejected Israel's demand to throw the case out.