Application of the Genocide Convention in the Gaza Strip – Order of 28 March 2024 (Starvation Provisional Measures)

Provisional measures order issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in March 2024, the second such order in South Africa's genocide case against Israel. Following indications that Israel was allowing famine conditions to develop in Gaza despite the Court's January 2024 order, the ICJ issued additional binding provisional measures requiring Israel to take effective measures to ensure unimpeded provision of humanitarian assistance, including food, water, fuel, and medicine, to the Palestinian population of Gaza. It addresses the specific issue of Israel's use of humanitarian obstruction as a weapon of war. Essential for researchers and advocates working on the legal dimensions of famine in Gaza and the use of starvation as a weapon of war. The March 2024 order is particularly significant as a court finding that humanitarian obstruction constitutes a plausible threat to Palestinian rights under the Genocide Convention.