On Thursday and Friday, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) will consider new urgent measures requested by South Africa in response to the Israeli offensive in Rafah.

On 10 May, the Republic of South Africa asked the ICJ to grant new measures on the grounds that the Israeli offensive in Rafah has caused irreparable harm to the rights of the people of Gaza.

The ICJ announced that hearings on 16 and 17 May will consider South Africa’s request to the Court for further urgent measures against Israel for its attacks on Rafah, as part of the ongoing case accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians.

South Africa’s application stated that new measures should be ordered against Israel on the grounds that the ICJ’s orders of 26 January and 28 March did not reflect the deteriorating conditions and new facts in Gaza and Rafah. The application said Israel had persistently failed to comply with the Court’s orders and continued its “egregious violations” in Gaza.

“Israel’s military operations in Rafah and elsewhere in Gaza are themselves genocidal,” the application said, stressing that the Court should do more than order Israel to comply with the injunctions and its obligations under the Genocide Convention. The application asked the Court to order Israel to cease its military operations.

In January, the Court did not order Israel to stop its attacks as a precautionary measure.

The request stated that Israel had seized the Kerem Abu Salim (Shalom) crossing, the last place of refuge for civilians in Gaza, and had taken de facto control of entry and exit to and from Gaza, and that Israel had prevented humanitarian aid from reaching 1.5 million Gazans.

The new measures demanded were as follows:

1- Israel will cease its military attacks at Rafah and withdraw immediately.

2 – Israel will immediately take all effective measures to ensure and facilitate unhindered access to Gaza for non-governmental organisations, including United Nations agencies, researchers and journalists, to assess the situation in Gaza and to ensure the preservation and collection of evidence, and to ensure that its army does not act in a manner that prevents access.

3- Within one week of the announcement of the new measures, Israel shall provide the Court with an accessible report describing the measures it has taken to implement both the previous measures and the new measures requested.

Israel has previously dismissed South Africa’s genocide case as unfounded, claiming that it is acting in accordance with international law in Gaza, with Tel Aviv accusing Pretoria of acting as the “legal arm of Hamas”.

Will Egypt intervene?

Egypt announced its intention to intervene in the case after Israel seized the Rafah border crossing.

In a statement posted on the Facebook page of the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it was stated that the decision to intervene came as a result of the escalation in the severity and scope of Israeli attacks against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, the continuation of systematic practices, including direct attacks against the Palestinian people, the destruction of infrastructure, the displacement of Palestinians from their lands, and the unprecedented humanitarian crisis that has made the Gaza Strip uninhabitable.

Egypt urged Israel to fulfil its obligations as an occupying power, to implement the interim measures issued by the ICJ, and to refrain from any violations against the Palestinian people, a protected people under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the statement said.

The statement also called on the United Nations Security Council and international parties to take immediate action to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza, halt military operations at Rafah and provide the necessary protection to Palestinian civilians.

It was previously announced that Nicaragua, Colombia and Libya had requested intervention under Articles 62 and 63 of the Court’s Charter.

Under Article 83 of its Rules of Procedure, the Court had invited South Africa and Israel to submit written observations on Colombia’s application for intervention.

At least 315 people have lost their lives, thousands of homes were damaged and livestock wiped out during the recent flash floods caused by heavy rain in northern Afghanistan.

Taliban authorities announced that over 1,600 people were wounded and the villagers buried their dead and aid agencies scrambling to help the survivors. “The death toll has exceeded 300, and sadly, we expect this number to rise. The flood has also destroyed more than 2,000 homes,” the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on X.

Most of the casualties were reported in the northern Baghlan province where the floods destroyed 3,000 homes, damaged farmland, and washed away livestock. People are in desperate need as the deadly flood also damaged health centers.

Taliban’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Abdul Ghani Baradar had visited Baghlan and met with the victims. He called on the aid organizations and the traders to help the affected people and the residents are in a deep shock as they buried dozens of bodies. The most of the victims are from Nahrin district

We have not food and no drinking water 

“We have no food, no drinking water and no shelter or blankets,” said Najibullah, who has lost nine members of his family. Three children are among the casualties.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that heavy rainfall and flash floods affected 21 districts across Badakhshan, Baghlan, and Takhar provinces.

At least 73 people have lost their lives and 76 others were wounded in Baghlani Jadid district where 1,500 houses have been damaged or destroyed. “In Burka district, 70 deaths and 150 injuries have been confirmed, along with damage to 5,000 homes. Elsewhere, 13 deaths were reported across Dahnai Ghori,  Guzargah Noor, Jelga, Narin and Puli Khumri districts where 1,612 homes were reportedly destroyed or damaged. A further 603 homes were reported as such in Khost and Tala wa Barfak  districts,” it said in a statement.

Afghan relatives offer prayers during a burial ceremony, near the graves of victims who lost their lives following flash floods after heavy rainfall at a village in Baghlan-e-Markazi district of Baghlan province.

At least 24 people were reportedly killed across Chall, Ishkamish, Farkhar and Namak Ab districts in Takhar province, with 14 injured and a further seven missing. More than one hundred homes were also reportedly destroyed or damaged – the vast majority in Chall and Ishkamish districts.

Baghlan, Badakhshan and Takhar provinces are affected the most

In Badakhshan province, Teshkan district has been the most affected with 200 homes, 50 bridges and 30 electricity dams destroyed or damaged and 2,000 animals killed.

“With every beat of our hearts, we feel the deep sorrow that’s befallen Baghlan and all of Afghanistan. In this tragic time, our spirits reach out to embrace the families in mourning,” the International Labour Organization (ILIO) covering Afghanistan said in X.

UN Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett, said that “recent floods in Afghanistan including Baghlan which claimed many lives, are a stark reminder of Afghanistan’s vulnerability to the climate crisis and both immediate aid and long term planning by the Taliban and international actors are needed”.

Recent floods are stark reminder of Afghanistan’s vulnerability to the climate crisis 

Indrika Ratwatte, deputy special representative of UNAMA for Afghanistan said that the country has remained amongst the world’s top 10 climate impacted countries while having no significant carbon footprint. “Climate shocks continue to ravage vulnerable communities. Urgent support for climate adaptation and mitigation for the people of Afghanistan is a critical need,” he added.

He furthered that Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund (AHF) will remain the main funding platform for providing life saving humanitarian assistance to millions. The international community needs to step up and support this critical lifeline for the people of Afghanistan, he added.

At the same time the World Health Organization’s Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that WHO and its partners have deployed 17 mobile health teams to assist flood victims in Afghanistan.

In a post on X, Tedros emphasized that the recent floods resulted in more than 300 deaths and caused extensive damage to homes and health facilities.

“We are providing essential medicines and medical supplies to the affected communities,” he added.

According to a report by Ragıp Soylu of the British news agency Middle East Eye, citing Israeli sources, Israel has started to gradually send its diplomats back to Turkey as of this month.

After 7 October, Israel, which began attacks in Gaza and faced fierce protests in the countries of the region as the intensity of its attacks increased, withdrew all its diplomats in the region, including Turkey, for security reasons.

Israeli sources told Middle East Eye that Israel began returning its diplomats from Turkey earlier this month, six months after withdrawing them. According to the report, a Turkish official confirmed that Israeli diplomats had returned to their posts.

The report noted that Israel’s move to repatriate the diplomats came after Ankara completely cut off trade with Israel.

Turkey and Israel had downgraded their diplomatic relations to the level of charge d’affaires, reducing diplomatic and political contacts to zero, due to tensions that began in 2018 when the US recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

However, last year, in line with the main trend in the region, steps were taken to normalise relations and reciprocal ambassadors were appointed. 7 October and the subsequent Israeli attacks on Gaza interrupted this trend.

In the first days after 7 October, Turkey adopted a more balanced discourse, but after Israel’s attack on the Al-Ahli hospital, Turkey began to harden its tone. Erdoğan accused Israel, which he blamed for the attack, of carrying out attacks ‘bordering on genocide’.

Israeli diplomats serving in Turkey, including Israeli Ambassador to Ankara Irit Lillian, decided to leave Turkey for “security reasons” after protests outside the embassy and consulate intensified on 19 October.