Court orders Israel to halt Gaza famine; Hamas says ceasefire needed

The order from the International Court of Justice came as Israeli forces and Palestinian fighters battled in close combat around Gaza's Al Shifa Hospital, where the armed wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad said they attacked Israeli soldiers and tanks with rockets and mortar fire

A man salvages food packages from a building that was hit overnight during Israeli bombardment in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on March 26, 2024 amid the ongoing conflict in the Palestinian territory between Israel and the militant group Hamas. 

The World Court on Thursday unanimously ordered Israel, accused by South Africa of genocide in Gaza, to take all necessary and effective action to ensure basic food supplies to the enclave's Palestinian population and halt spreading famine.

But Gaza's Hamas rulers said a ceasefire was needed to halt the humanitarian crisis.