Today's decision by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordering Israel to halt its offensive on Rafah in southern Gaza and to reopen the Rafah crossing is another confirmation of how catastrophic the situation is and of the desperate need for humanitarian aid to be scaled up immediately. 

We have been calling for an immediate and sustained ceasefire in Gaza since the beginning of this war and have been alerting on the disastrous consequences of this offensive on Rafah since it was announced for the first time in February. 

The situation in Gaza has never been so dire: essential humanitarian and medical aid has barely entered since the beginning of May leaving hundreds of thousands of people without food, water, shelter and medicine, and hospitals without fuel.

According to the UN, 900,000 people have yet again been displaced in these past three weeks alone, as Israel’s offensive in Rafah has intensified and heavy fighting is taking place in the north of the enclave. 

We continue to call for an immediate and sustained ceasefire for all of Gaza, as it is the only way to stop the indiscriminate killing of civilians and allow for the substantial provision and delivery of aid on a meaningful scale, which is needed now more than ever throughout the Strip.