Gaza live: Israel to build 'different government' in Gaza, says defence minister

Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has said that Israel will not agree to stop its war on Gaza, as that would be tantamount to it "decree[ing] itself to cease to exist.

"We continue to fight for ourselves and for the entire free world. History will judge who today stood by the Nazis of Hamas and ISIS," he said in a post on X.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will convene an emergency meeting with key ministers following the ICJ's order that Israel halt its offensive on Rafah, Israeli media is reporting.

Foreign Minister Israel Katz, war cabinet minister Benny Gantz and the government’s judicial adviser are said to be attending.

Al Jazeera is citing political sources reporting that Israel will not respond to the ruling, and that it is already holding under-the-table talks with the US for it to veto the resolution at the UN Security Council.

Hamas has applauded the ICJ's ruling ordering Israel to halt its operations in Rafah, but warned that it did not go far enough and urged for an end to Israel's offensive on all of Gaza.

Reporting by Reuters

The far-right Israeli security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, has said the "only answer" to the ICJ's ruling is "the occupation of Rafah, the increase of military pressure and the defeat of Hamas, until the complete victory in the war is achieved," Israeli media is reporting.

The Palestinian Authority has applauded the ICJ ruling ordering Israel to immediately halt its operations in Rafah.

A Palestinian presidency spokesperson told Reuters that the decision reflects "an international consensus" to end Israel's war on Gaza.

The ICJ has ordered Israel to report back within one month about its implementation of today's ruling. 

Judge Nawaf Salam noted that Israel had failed to do this following the previous two orders in January and March.

Judge Nawaf Salam said in his ruling that: “Israel must take effective measures to ensure the unimpeded access to the Gaza Strip of any commission of inquiry, fact-finding mission or investigative body mandated by the competent organs of the UN to investigate allegations of genocide.”

Judge Salam said in his reading of the ruling that: “Israel must immediately halt its military offensive of any other action in the Rafah governorate which may inflict on the Palestinian group in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part.”

In his reading of the ruling, Judge Salam said that the court order by 13 votes to 2 to halt its Rafah offensive.

Judge Nawaf Salam, head of the International Court of Justice, opened the session by noting that South Africa’s request for additional measures is a modification of its prior order issued to Israel in March.

He added that the court is able to modify orders if the situation in Gaza has deteriorated since then.

He went on to say that the humanitarian situation in Rafah is now classified as “disastrous”.

The ICJ session has begun. The court will shortly deliver its ruling on South Africa’s request to order Israel to halt its offensive in Rafah.

The lives of over 20 newborn babies at Al-Aqsa hospital are at risk, as oxygen generators will shut down imminently due to fuel shortages, Unicef has warned.

“Gaza needs more fuel now and safe corridors for humanitarian workers to operate,” the UN's children agency said in a post on X.

Gaza's health ministry warned on Thursday that services at the hospital would shut down imminently due to fuel shortages. Power outages have forced the hospital to abandon equipment and treat patients manually on the floor.

The Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza has been closed indefinitely since the Israeli military seized it on 7 May, leaving thousands of Palestinians in limbo.

Since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023 and the subsequent closure of all other crossings, the Rafah crossing with Egypt has been the only passageway for civilians fleeing the conflict.

An Egyptian company with exclusive control over exits and transfers via the terminal had been charging Palestinians at least $5,000 per adult and $2,500 per child to cross to the Egyptian side.

In April, Hala Consulting and Tourism Services, a firm owned by Sinai tribal leader and business tycoon Ibrahim al-Organi, made at least $2m per day from Palestinians, Middle East Eye has revealed.

Read more: Palestinians stranded in Gaza after paying Egypt $5,000 each to flee

Israeli officials are expecting that the International Court of Justice at The Hague will issue a ruling later today that would require Israel to stop its ongoing war on Gaza, according to a senior diplomatic source quoted by the Israel Hayom newspaper.

Speaking to Israel Hayom, the source said that legal experts assessed there was a high probability the court would rule against Israel following a petition filed by South Africa.

"The two potential scenarios," the source said, "were that the court could order a cessation of Israeli operations in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, or further, that it could seek to halt the broader war in Gaza entirely through court injunctions," the Israeli paper noted.

The ruling would leave Israel even more diplomatically isolated following a series of serious setbacks this week.

At the start of the week, the International Criminal Court (ICC), following the actions of its chief prosecutor Karim Khan, sought arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as for three of Hamas’s senior leaders.

On Wednesday, Israel lashed out at Norway, Ireland, and Spain, who announced that they are recognizing a Palestinian state.