Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) welcomes the decision of the International Court of Justice to issue provisional measures in the case presented by South Africa on Israel’s conduct in Gaza. States must now take urgent and immediate action to ensure these are implemented in full, and the unimaginable suffering of 2.3 million people in Gaza ended.

The Court’s issuing of provisional measures indicates that there is a plausible risk of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, reflecting warnings issued from UN independent experts of a “genocide in the making” and the terrible experiences of people living this reality inside Gaza, including our own staff.

For more than 100 days, the world has watched with horror the immense suffering resulting from Israel’s indiscriminate bombardment and siege, MAP has demanded that the international community act to uphold their responsibility to protect civilians in Gaza from atrocity crimes. The court’s decision must be a wake-up call to world leaders who have persistently failed to uphold this duty, and a warning that they must act to end their potential complicity in the most serious of crimes. 

MAP notes that full implementation of the court’s provisional measures, in particular the demand that Israel enable the provision of humanitarian assistance and basic services to those who need it in Gaza, is impossible without an immediate ceasefire. All parties must uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law, and the systematic dismantling of Gaza’s health system must end.

We hope today will be a vital first step to bringing justice, health and recovery for the people of Gaza.