Israel continues bombing of Gaza despite ICJ ruling on occupation

Israeli forces bombed parts of central Gaza on Friday, killing at least eight Palestinians in the Al-Nuseirat camp area on the same day the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled Israel's occupation of Palestine illegal.

Israel's aerial and tank shelling of central Gaza has intensified in the past week, killing dozens. Residents said the Israeli army blew up dozens of homes there in the past three days. 

Palestinian health officials said eight people were killed in two separate Israeli air strikes on two houses earlier on Friday in Al-Nuseirat.

In Rafah, where Israel said it aimed to dismantle the last battalions of Hamas' armed wing, residents said fierce gun battles were heard on Friday in central and western areas. Medics said five people died in Israeli fire and their bodies were moved to Nasser Hospital in nearby Khan Younis city.

The Al-Mawasi area, a humanitarian-designated zone where the Israeli army had been urging displaced Palestinians to go, has become unsafe, residents said, due to deadly Israeli attacks.

A widowed Palestinian woman, Aziza Suleiman Ammar, said: "There's nowhere for us. The house is gone. I have no house, my house is gone. My husband is gone, God knows what's next."

ICJ ruling divides opinion

The Palestinian leadership hailed a "historic" ruling by the top UN court on Friday that Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories is illegal but the decision drew condemnation from Israel.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the ICJ had made a "decision of lies" after it found that Israel's policies and practices "amount to annexation of large parts" of the occupied territories.

The office of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said it welcomed the "historic decision and demands that Israel be compelled to implement it."

In its non-binding advisory opinion, The Hague-based court found that Israel was "under an obligation to cease immediately all new settlement activities and to evacuate all settlers" from occupied land. The ruling has drawn added attention because it comes against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. 

Netanyahu led a chorus of condemnation from conservative, far-right and even centrist politicians in Israel.

"The Jewish people are not occupiers in their own land - not in our eternal capital Jerusalem, nor in our ancestral heritage of Judea and Samaria (the occupied West Bank)," he said in a statement. "No decision of lies in The Hague will distort this historical truth and similarly, the legality of Israeli settlements in all parts of our homeland cannot be disputed." 

In the English-language version of his statement, Netanyahu called the decision "absurd."

Itamar Ben Gvir, the far-right national security minister and a settler himself, called the ICJ "a blatantly anti-Semitic and political organization." In comments sent to news agency AFP by a spokesperson, Ben Gvir called for annexation of the occupied territories.

Centrist opposition leader Yair Lapid said the court's ruling was "disconnected, one-sided, tainted with anti-Semitism and lacking an understanding of the reality on the ground".

'Hope among our people'

The Palestinian presidency said: "The ICJ ruling renews hope among our people for a future free from colonisation." The foreign ministry called the ruling a "watershed moment."

"Israel is under an obligation to end this illegal colonial enterprise unconditionally and in our view, that means immediately and totally," it said.

The ICJ ruling comes in response to a UN General Assembly query in 2022 regarding the legal consequences of Israel's "prolonged occupation, settlement and annexation of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967."

In the Six-Day War of 1967, Israel occupied the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including east Jerusalem which it swiftly annexed. The UN later declared the occupation of Palestinian territory illegal.

Hamas welcomes ruling

Hamas called for "immediate" international action on Friday to end Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories.

A statement from the militant group, which has been fighting Israel in Gaza since the October 7 attacks, welcomed the ruling from the ICJ, saying it puts "the international system before the imperative of immediate action to end the occupation".

Israeli human rights group B'Tselem said the court's decision left "no more excuses" for the international community, which must now "use every tool - criminal, diplomatic and economic" to push Israel. 

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"The international community has evaded its duty to protect the Palestinians using various excuses, including the supposed temporary nature of the occupation and the claim that a diplomatic solution designed to resolve the conflict is being negotiated," a spokesperson for the group said.

"The release of the ICJ's advisory opinion puts an end to these justifications."

Sally Abi Khalil, Oxfam's Regional Director for the Middle East, added her organisation's voice to those praising the judgement.

She said: "This is an historic ruling that lays bare Israel's criminal actions that have denied rights, marginalised and subjugated Palestinians for decades. Every aspect of the occupation is illegal – settlements and settlers, the denial of water, and the use of Palestinian natural resources."

"The ICJ leaves absolutely no doubt that Israel has illegally annexed large parts of the West Bank and East Jerusalem and Palestinians are due reparations for all harms committed since 1967.

"The Court confirmed that Israel is committing the crime of apartheid in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which is one of the most serious international crimes.  

"There must now be an end to the occupation, the dismantling of settlements and complete self-determination for Palestinians. The international community cannot continue to ignore legal rulings regarding Israel's illegal policies and inhumane practices. The UN Security Council must act now and finally put an end to the impunity that Israel has enjoyed for decades."

Ceasefire nears 'goal line'

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday a long-sought ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas was within sight, saying negotiators were "driving toward the goal line."

Blinken told the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado that Hamas and Israel had agreed to the ceasefire framework outlined by U.S. President Joe Biden in May after a lot of pushing and diplomacy but said some issues needed to be resolved.

Houthis attack container vessel

Yemen's Houthi rebels hit and damaged a Singapore-flagged container ship with two missiles on Friday as they escalate attacks on global shipping over Israel's war in Gaza.

The overnight assault on the Lobivia cargo ship came as the Iran-aligned Houthis also claimed responsibility for a fiery, long-range aerial drone strike in the center of Tel Aviv that killed one man and wounded four others.

The Houthis in recent weeks have become more adept at inflicting damage on their targets. In June, the militants struck the Greek-owned Tutor coal carrier with missiles and an explosive-laden remote-controlled boat, causing it to sink.

Hadid dropped for ad by brand

Adidas said on Friday it had dropped vocal pro-Palestinian model Bella Hadid from an advertising campaign for retro sneakers referencing the 1972 Munich Olympics, which were overshadowed by a massacre of Israeli athletes.

The German sportswear giant recently relaunched the SL72, a shoe first showcased by athletes at the 1972 Olympics, as part of a series reviving old classic sneakers.

Eleven Israeli athletes and a German police officer were killed at the 1972 Munich Games after gunmen from the Palestinian Black September group broke into the Olympic village and took them hostage. 

Hadid, who was born in the U.S. but has Palestinian roots through her father, has been vocal about her support for Palestinian rights.

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