UN court rejects South African request for urgent measures to safeguard Rafah

The top UN court in The Hague rejected a request for urgent measures to safeguard Rafah (AP Photo/Patrick Post, File)

The top UN court rejected a South African request to impose urgent measures to safeguard Rafah in the Gaza Strip but also stressed that Israel must respect earlier measures imposed late last month at a preliminary stage in a landmark genocide case.

The International Court of Justice said in a statement that the “perilous situation” in Rafah “demands immediate and effective implementation of the provisional measures indicated by the Court in its Order of 26 January 2024, which are applicable throughout the Gaza Strip, including in Rafah, and does not demand the indication of additional provisional measures”.