Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu
Prime Minister’s Office
3 Kaplan St. Hakirya
91950 Jerusalem, Israel
Email: mankals@pmo.gov.il

We are writing to express our grave concern over Israel’s failure to comply with the provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in response to the case brought by South Africa, in which the latter accused Israel of violating its obligations under the Genocide Convention in relation to Palestinian civilians in the occupied Gaza strip.

In light of the real and imminent risk of genocide faced by Palestinians in Gaza, I urge you to ensure Israel implements all six provisional measures ordered by the Court, including for Israel to prevent the commission of acts proscribed by the Genocide Convention, to prevent and punish public and direct incitement to genocide and, crucially, to take immediate and effective measures to provide urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance to address the adverse conditions of life faced by civilians in the occupied Gaza Strip.

After four months of Israel’s relentless bombardment of the Gaza Strip, accompanied by the further tightening of the over 16-year-long illegal siege, civilians in Gaza are grappling with an apocalyptic humanitarian catastrophe. Civilians in Gaza are facing mass displacement, engineered famine and deliberate deprivation of basic services, including access to clean water and sanitation services, and contending with lack of adequate fuel supplies, which in Gaza is desperately needed to power hospitals, purify water and process food. The death toll continues to rise, with over 28,000 people killed, a further 10,000 missing under the rubble, and nearly 68,000 wounded, thousands of whom have been left with permanent disabilities. Over 1.7 million Palestinians, more than 85% of Gaza’s population, have been internally displaced at least once; 2.2 million people are facing imminent risk of famine; infectious diseases are becoming increasingly prevalent due to successive waves of mass displacement, overcrowding, and lack of clean water and adequate hygiene. Supplies of humanitarian aid are scarce and woefully insufficient, particularly to the many in catastrophic need in northern Gaza.

Restricting the delivery of essential humanitarian aid and the ongoing attacks on hospitals are not only a violation of the provisional measures that the ICJ ordered Israel to take; they also constitute a breach of Israel’s legal obligations, as the occupying power, under international humanitarian law.

In light of the real and imminent risk of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and to prevent the deterioration of the humanitarian catastrophe even further, I urge the State of Israel to comply with the ICJ ruling and to take immediate and effective steps to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian and medical aid across the entire Gaza Strip as required by international law.

Yours Sincerely,