Israel continues its military offensive on Rafah. According to the British newspaper The Guardian, citing the French agency AFP, the Israeli army bombed the region in the early hours of Saturday, despite the fact that The International Court of Justice ordered the Israeli government on Friday to stop the attacks “immediately”. in said territory.
Rafah, located in the southern Gaza Strip, on the border with Egypt, is the main entrance for humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. More than a million displaced people from the north and center of the enclave have sought refuge there during the conflict. Given the urgency of the Israeli army's attacks, approximately 800,000 people have been forced to move again to the new 'humanitarian zones' designated by Israel, Al Mawasi. The International Court of Justice assured in its ruling yesterday that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is “disastrous” and that the measures taken by Israel in Rafah – such as the establishment of Al Mawasi or evacuation orders from the city– are not enough.
The Israeli army, on the other hand, has not yet confirmed Saturday's attacks. The armed forces' daily report yesterday noted “operational activities in specific areas of Rafah,” which the statement said put an end to “a terrorist cell that opened fire on its forces.” Israel assures that its activities in the area are limited to the search for Hamas weapons and infrastructure. However, medical sources in the enclave have warned of a new airstrike launched in recent hours in the city bordering Egypt.
He mandate of the Hague court urges Israel to “immediately halt its military offensive and any other action in Rafah”, in addition to keeping the city's border crossing open to allow the entry of medical supplies; food and basic amenities which the residents of Gaza 'urgently need'. The only hospital still operational in the area is the Kuwait Specialty Hospital. This morning, the Director of the World Health Organization asked the World Health Organization to guarantee the arrival of fuel to the complex so that medical services can be provided. “We hope that the court's decision will put pressure on Israel to end this war of extermination, because there is nothing left here,” Oum Mohammad al-Ashqa, a Palestinian woman from Gaza City who was displaced, told AFP the French agency AFP al-Balah for the Rafah offensive.
Meanwhile, dozens of people have also died in other parts of the Strip. At least four civilians were killed in an Israeli bombardment of a residential apartment in the Nuseirat refugee camp, according to Wafa. Ten Palestinians, including children and women, were killed this morning in an Israeli airstrike on a house in the town of Beit Hanoun, north of the enclave. The agency also reports civilian deaths in Yabalia. “IDF forces continue their operational activities in Yabalia. “During the last day, troops dismantled terrorist infrastructure, launch sites and military structures and located numerous weapons,” the Israeli army statement said.
On the other hand, the Gaza Ministry of Health has reported that the number of deaths in the Gaza Strip since the start of the conflict on October 7 now stands at 35,903 people. According to the ministry statement, 80,420 people have been injured and hundreds of Gaza residents are still missing under the rubble of the bombings.
Spanish government reminds Israel that UN court orders are “mandatory”
José Manuel Albares, Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, recalled this morning that the ICJ's orders “are mandatory.” “We demand its application,” he stated in a message shared on his X profile. All decisions of the court in The Hague are indeed legally binding, but the body does not have direct application mechanisms.
Moreover, Defense Minister Margarita Robles declared this Saturday that what Gaza is experiencing “is an authentic genocide.” “Spain is always a big supporter of what is happening in the world. We cannot forget that people are dying in Ukraine, it is a huge war, and we cannot ignore what is happening in Gaza, which is a real genocide,” he said in statements to RTVE collected by Europa Press. He said it in Oviedo, where this year's Armed Forces parade will be held. She is the first government representative to use this term to describe the situation in the Strip.