JERUSALEM

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday asked his ministers not to comment on the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) ruling, local media reported.

In an interim decision in the genocide case filed by South Africa in The Hague, the ICJ ordered Israel to take "all measures within its power" to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza, but fell short of ordering a cease-fire.

Responding to the ruling, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said: “The ruling of the anti-Semitic court in The Hague confirms what was already known: this court does not seek justice but rather the persecution of the Jewish people,” Israel's public broadcaster KAN reported.

"We must not heed decisions that threaten the existence of the State of Israel,” he said.

"We must continue to defeat the enemy until complete victory is achieved," the Israeli minister added.

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Hamas which Tel Aviv says killed 1,200 people.

At least 26,083 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and 64,487 injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.

The Israeli offensive has left 85% of Gaza’s population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure was damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.


*Writing by Mohammad Sio