RAMALLAH, Palestine

The head of the Palestinian National Initiative movement said the order by a UN court Friday is the start of holding Israel and its backers accountable for war crimes committed in the Gaza Strip.

"This order must pave the way to compel Israel to halt its aggression and to cease-fire comprehensively and permanently, as well as to allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip," Mustafa Barghouti said in a statement.

He urged countries and institutions to "impose sanctions on Israel, boycott it and withdraw investment from it, until it stops its war crimes.”

The International Court of Justice ordered Israel to take "all measures within its power" to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza but fell short of ordering a cease-fire.

The court also ordered Israel to take immediate and effective measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip.

South Africa brought the genocide case against Israel to the ICJ and asked it to grant emergency measures to end the bloodshed in Gaza, where more than 26,000 Palestinians have been killed since Oct. 7.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar