Israel ignores international justice while it rains hell on Gaza

MAJDI FATHI / NurPhoto / NurPhoto via AFP
  • The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) condemns the Israeli army’s bombardments of Rafah, including those on 26 May 2024, which killed at least 45 people.
  • The continued bombardments on Rafah by Israel are a violation of the International Court of Justice’s order, instructing it to stop its offensive in Rafah and allow the passage of humanitarian aid.
  • This massacre falls within the scope of the ongoing investigation into the situation in Palestine by the International Criminal Court, whose judges are currently assessing the Prosecutor’s request for arrest warrants against Israeli and Hamas officials.

Paris, 28 May 2024. FIDH strongly condemns the Israeli bombardments of Rafah, including those of 26 May 2024 on a camp for displaced persons, which killed at least 45 people, including children, and injured around sixty. By committing yet another massacre of civilians in Gaza, Israel is acting in total contradiction to the order of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to halt its offensive in Rafah and maintain unrestricted access for humanitarian aid.

The defiance of Israeli authorities towards United Nations resolutions and any international justice order is seen by FIDH as a calculated and systematic policy. Israel has been acting outside international law for decades and continues to refuse to comply with it. These civilian victims add to the 36,000 Palestinian deaths in Gaza since October 2023, where more than one million people have been displaced without shelter or guarantees for their safety. FIDH and United Nations experts denounce an ongoing genocide.

FIDH stands in solidarity with Palestinians and Israelis who are calling for an effective and permanent ceasefire and urges United Nations member states to end the impunity of the Israeli occupation army. Member states must go beyond timid condemnations and implement concrete measures, such as economic and diplomatic sanctions and an arms embargo against Israel. FIDH also demands unrestricted and permanent access to humanitarian aid for the civilian population in Gaza.

All States signatories to the Rome Statute have a legal obligation to support and cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the ongoing investigation into the situation in Palestine. This investigation aims to hold accountable the perpetrators of international crimes since 2014, including the massacre on 26 May 2024 in Rafah, and to obtain reparations for the victims of the violations committed.

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