Consequences for Israel? We'll Soon Find Out
The World Court tomorrow will rule on South Africa's request for provisional measures in its genocide case against Israel.
In a town called Al-Mawasi, located on the southern coast of the Gaza Strip, a group of men, including one waving a white flag, congregates across from a tent village, evacuated as Israel bombards southern Gaza.
Despite posing no threat as he and others saunter along a deserted road, the man is shot dead by Israeli soldiers. The incident, captured on camera, goes viral.
As the video ricochets across the internet, the murder sparks another viral moment inside the U.S. State Department media room, where a spokesperson for the agency twists himself into knots trying to provide cover for Israel.
In northern Gaza, another massacre unfolds. Palestinians lining up for humanitarian aid are summarily killed, with the death toll reportedly reaching at least 20 and as many as 150 wounded.
Adding to the misery, Middle East Eye reports that victims are brought to al-Shifa Hospital, which remains only partially operational following an attack in November by Israeli forces amid still-unfounded claims that the facility served as a Hamas “command center”—a characterization that even The Washington Post has since refuted.
Nowhere is safe. Not a UN shelter, not refugee camps, not hospitals, and definitely not Khan Younis, where the majority of Palestinians fled following Israel’s initial invasion of northern Gaza.
The aforementioned horrors all occurred after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) heard South Africa’s case for provisional measures to protect civilians as part of its genocide case against Israel.
This is life in Gaza as a war-ravaged population awaits the ICJ’s decision on South Africa’s complaint, which the court is set to deliver on Friday, Jan. 26.
There’s no telling which way the court will go—or even if Israel will comply. We already have evidence that nothing fundamentally will change irrespective of serious international pressure, especially from the United States, which has whole-heartedly endorsed—and facilitated—this humanitarian catastrophe.
As we wait to bring you the ICJ’s decision, it’s worth checking out our recent episodes on the ICJ case (you can also listen on your favorite podcast app):
For some background, here’s Boyle explaining what can happen if the ICJ affirms South Africa’s request:
Also, in the meantime, we’re sharing this clip from an Israeli news organization. It goes without saying that the slayings committed by Hamas on Oct. 7 were horrific. But it’s also important to note that some extraordinary claims were made in the aftermath of the attack that continue to be used to justify the war crimes occurring in Gaza. In this broadcast, an Israeli journalist refutes many of these.