Israel ordered to immediately cease Rafah offensive by ICJ - Situation 'disastrous'

South Africa asked the ICJ to make the order after the country suggested Israel's actions were "genocidal".

Reading out a ruling by the International Court of Justice or World Court, the body's president Nawaf Salam said provisional measures ordered by the court in March did not fully address the situation.

He said: "Israel must immediately halt its military offensive" in Rafah.

Israel has repeatedly dismissed the case's accusations of genocide as baseless.

In court, the country argued its operations in Gaza are self-defence and targeted at Hamas who attacked Israel in October.

The Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to eliminate Hamas and get all the hostages back.

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On Thursday, Israeli chief military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said: "Hamas is in Rafah, Hamas has been holding our hostages in Rafah, which is why our forces are manoeuvring in Rafah.

"We're doing this in a targeted and precise way."

The court also ordered Israel to open the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza to allow in humanitarian aid inside.

Despite the ICJ being the highest UN body for hearing disputes between states, its rulings have been ignored in the past as the court has no enforcement powers.

Israel launched its air and ground war on Gaza after Hamas stormed into southern Israeli communities, killing 1,200 people and reportedly seizing more than 250 hostages.

Gaza's health ministry says more than 35,000 Palestinians have since been killed in the offensive.

Hamas has welcomed the ICJ's decision on Rafah but also called for Israel's attack on the whole of Gaza to be ceased.