Israel continues bombing Gaza, including Rafah, despite ICJ ruling

Dozens of Palestinians were killed across the besieged territory as Israeli forces struck multiple targets from north to south.

Israel continued its relentless attacks on Rafah despite the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordering an end to the military operation in the region, and several deaths were reported in central and northern Gaza, which were subjected to further attacks.

Shaboura camp and areas near the Kuwait Hospital in Rafah were targeted on Saturday, said Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Deir el-Balah. Several people who were injured in the bombing were transferred to hospital, he said.

The hospital renewed its call for fuel deliveries “to ensure its continued operation”, saying it was the only one in Rafah Governorate still receiving patients.

The ICJ ruling, the third of its kind this year, ordered Israel to halt its offensive, citing “immense risk” to some 1.4 million Palestinians sheltering in Rafah, the southernmost part of Gaza. More than 800,000 Palestinians have been forced to flee Rafah since Israel launched the current offensive on May 7.

The UN’s top court seeks to stem the rising number of Palestinian deaths since October, as well as alleviate the ongoing humanitarian crisis resulting from internal displacement and severe famine affecting the majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents. Nearly 36,000 Palestinians were killed and vast areas of Gaza were destroyed by massive Israeli bombing.

Israel gave no indication it was preparing to change course, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticizing the ICJ decision, calling South Africa’s accusations of genocide “false, outrageous and morally repugnant.”

The UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories on Saturday called for sanctions against Israel for defying the court.

“Rest assured: Israel will not stop this madness until WE make it stop. Member states must impose sanctions, arms embargo and suspend diplomatic/political relations with Israel until its attack ceases,” Francesca Albanese posted on X.

Intensified attacks in northern Gaza

Israel also struck a school housing displaced people in the as-Saftawi neighborhood of the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, according to Al Jazeera journalists at the scene, citing medical sources.

The Palestinian news agency Wafa confirmed that at least 10 people were killed and 17 others were injured in the series of attacks on the neighborhood located south of Jabalia.

Israeli forces intensified attacks on the Jabalia camp on Saturday, forcing already displaced people to flee the area again.

Israeli warplanes also bombed a house located in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoon, killing 10 people, including women and children, according to Wafa.

In Gaza City, an Israeli attack that targeted a family home in the Sabra neighborhood killed a woman and injured others. An unspecified number of people were also reported killed by an Israeli airstrike on a residential building in the Daraj neighborhood, according to Wafa.

Other Gaza City neighborhoods, including Sheikh Ajlin, Tal al-Hawa and Zeitoun, were also targeted by intense artillery shelling, Wafa added, but there were no immediate details on casualties.

As the number of casualties continues to rise in northern Gaza, Israeli troops continue to surround the Kamal Adwan Hospital, according to Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, head of the pediatrics department.

He said the hospital is unable to treat incoming patients due to the ongoing siege. Some patients and premature babies are still inside the hospital, he added.

Abu Safiya said he contacted the Red Cross and UNICEF but received no assurance that anything would be done to end the Israeli siege of the hospital.

Deaths in Wadi Gaza

Meanwhile, Israeli quadcopters also fired at Palestinians gathering in Wadi Gaza, killing at least six people, according to Al Jazeera’s Mahmoud.

Palestinians desperate for help often gather in Wadi Gaza to try to reach aid trucks arriving from the floating pier near Gaza City. Part of the US-built floating pier was destroyed, according to videos shared on social media on Saturday.

Also in central Gaza, an Israeli airstrike on an apartment building in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza killed at least four people.

Israeli troops also took control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, further slowing sporadic aid deliveries to Gaza’s 2.3 million residents. Earlier this week, the UN refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) announced it would suspend food distribution in Rafah, citing a lack of supplies and lack of security in the densely populated city.

On Friday, UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said on social media site X that the situation had reached “a moment of clarity”.

“At a time when the people of Gaza are on the brink of starvation… it is more critical than ever to heed the calls made over the past seven months: Release the hostages. Agree to a ceasefire. End this nightmare.”

VIA AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES