CNN WORLD Humanitarian crisis worsens in Gaza as Israel-Hamas war rages By Chris Lau, CNN Updated 10:49 a.m. ET, December 30, 2023

CNN WORLD 

Humanitarian crisis worsens in Gaza as Israel-Hamas war rages

By Chris Lau, CNN

Updated 10:49 a.m. ET, December 30, 2023

What we're covering

-The UN has expressed alarm after more than 100,000 people arrived in Rafah in recent days, the most densely populated part of Gaza.

 Residents described sky-high food prices and children going hungry. "Life is difficult and humiliating," one said.

-The influx comes as Israel expands its operations in southern Gaza. 

Battles are also underway in the north, where the Israeli military said it destroyed a hideout belonging to Yahya Sinwar, Hamas' leader in Gaza. 

- South Africa has filed a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. Israel said the case "lacks both a factual and a legal basis."

- Aid is once again reaching Gaza through a crossing on the Israeli border after it was suspended for several days, the UN said. Top officials have raised concerns about the difficulty of delivering aid in Gaza, and reports that Israeli soldiers fired on a UN convoy.

- Here's how to help humanitarian efforts in Israel and Gaza.

Latest

16 min ago

Israeli military acknowledges destroying Ottoman-era bathhouse while targeting Hamas in Gaza

From CNN’s Ibrahim Dahman and Stephanie Halasz

The Israel Defense Forces struck a centuries-old Ottoman-era bathhouse when it targeted a claimed “Hamas terrorist squad” in mid-December, the IDF confirmed Sunday. 

The Hamam al-Samra, in the Al-Zeitoun neighborhood of northern Gaza, was said to have been built in the 14th century and was the only public bathhouse in the Gaza Strip. It was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike on December 15, its owner, Salim Al-Wazeer, told CNN.

“A Hamas terrorist squad was based in the aforementioned structure which had also contained a network of terror tunnels. The IDF struck the terror target using precision munitions and while minimizing damage to uninvolved persons,” the IDF claimed in a statement.

The bathhouse had seen annual renovations during the month of Ramadan since 1999, the owner told CNN, adding that he hopes to one day rebuild the hammam.

1 hr 25 min ago

Gazans displaced to Rafah tell CNN of sky-high food prices and acute overcrowding

From CNN's Kareem Khadder and Tim Lister

Palestinians displaced inside Gaza have described cramped living conditions, sky-high prices for food, children going hungry and poor sanitation. 

CNN spoke by phone with several people trying to survive in Rafah, in the south, where tens of thousands have fled to despite it already being the most densely populated part of Gaza.

“The way I am getting by is by begging here and there and taking help from anyone,” said Abu Misbah, a 51-year-old building worker trying to support a family of 10.

Vegetables and fruit were unaffordable, he said. His children asked for oranges, but he was not able to buy them.

“We never [been] through this situation before; we were a middle-class family,” he said. “Now since the war we are buying dates which we used to find everywhere for free. We want a solution to our miserable suffering.” 

Umm Omar, 50, is also displaced in Rafah, and lives in a tent. During the truce, they had briefly returned home only to find all the windows and solar panels broken, and the kitchen destroyed.

“We are nine people in a tent of two meters by one meter,” she said. “We have bought this camping tent ourselves; no-one helped us or provided it.”

Omar said they were getting by on canned food and estimated that most foods were at least four times as expensive as before the war. Medication is also hard to find.

“Life is difficult and humiliating; the word humiliating is not even close to describing it,” she told CNN.

In recent days, civilians desperate for food have been seen besieging aid trucks coming into Gaza. 

The United Nations has warned that the humanitarian situation in southern Gaza is deteriorating. It warned that the volume of aid entering the enclave “remains woefully inadequate.”

2 hr 28 min ago

IDF instructs people in Gaza to use coastal road amid fighting in Khan Younis

From CNN's Tim Lister and Magdy Abbas

Smoke billows over Khan Younis, Gaza, on December 30. 

Smoke billows over Khan Younis, Gaza, on December 30. AFP/Getty Images

The Israel Defense Forces has issued what it calls “several urgent instructions” to people in Gaza on what it says are safe routes in the midst of intensified fighting near the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

The IDF posted instructions in Arabic as well as a map on X, saying that the fighting and advance of Israeli forces in the Khan Younis area meant that civilians could not use the main Salah Al-Din axis that runs north to south through the middle of Gaza.

Instead, the IDF said it would allow humanitarian movement through a separate route to the west of Khan Younis, along the coastal road, allowing access to parts of central Gaza, including Deir Al-Balah, which the UN says is overcrowded with displaced people.

The IDF also announced a four-hour “tactical suspension of military activities” in Rafah camp in the south to allow for humanitarian resupply.

Given the lack of communications and internet in Gaza, it’s unclear how many people are aware of the IDF’s instructions.

4 hr 47 min ago

Israel reports fighting in north as it expands operations in southern and central Gaza

From CNN's Tim Lister

Even as Israel pushes on in central and southern Gaza after announcing it was extending its operations, fighting continues in the north of the territory.

On Saturday, the IDF said that there was also fighting in the north in the Shejaiya area, where “ground troops located a terrorist cell operating adjacent to the forces, and a terrorist armed with an RPG. The troops directed an IDF aircraft that struck and eliminated the cell.” 

And in Beit Lahia, which has already seen extensive destruction, the IDF said that “two Hamas military compounds were dismantled by the troops, who had located numerous weapons, explosive devices, guns, military equipment, communication devices in the compounds prior to the strike. “ 

The IDF said that in Gaza City – also in the north – “troops, in coordination with aircraft, killed dozens of terrorists. In the space of three hours, four incidents of terrorist identifications occurred and the IAF struck over 15 armed terrorists. Additionally, battles took place where further terrorists were killed. “

Hamas’ military wing, Al Qassam Brigades, says it continues to fight Israeli forces in many parts of Gaza, including Bureij camp in the center.

A long war lies ahead: Israel's initial focus following the October 7 attacks was northern Gaza, before it expanded its operations to the south.

Israel aims to destroy Hamas after their surprise attacks left 1,200 Israelis dead, as well as bring back the hostages the militant group captured.

Its military says the war could last  “many more months."

4 hr 54 min ago

UN alarm grows as more people move into the already most densely populated area of Gaza

From CNN's Tim Lister

Palestinians wait to collect food at a donation point in a refugee camp in Rafah on December 23.

Palestinians wait to collect food at a donation point in a refugee camp in Rafah on December 23. Saher Alghorra/Middle East Images/Getty Images

The United Nations has expressed alarm at the growing density of internally displaced people in parts of the Gaza Strip, as the Israeli military expands operations into more parts of central and southern Gaza.

In its latest update, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that at least 100,000 internally displaced people had arrived in Rafah, the most southerly city in Gaza, in recent days, following the intensification of hostilities in Khan Younis and Deir Al Balah, and the Israeli army’s evacuation orders. 

The OCHA said that Rafah was already the most densely populated area in Gaza, with more than 12,000 people per square kilometre.

There is also an ongoing influx into parts of Deir Al Balah in central Gaza. The OCHA said that instructions accompanying an online map published by the Israeli authorities “call on residents to move immediately to shelters in Deir Al Balah, which are already overcrowded, hosting several hundred thousand IDPs. The scope of displacement resulting from this evacuation order remains unclear.”

The OCHA also reported figures from the World Health Organization that show the spread of diseases in Gaza, “particularly due to the recent mass displacements across the south of Gaza. Some families have been forced to move multiple times.”

Close to 180,000 people living in shelters are suffering from upper respiratory infections; there are 136,400 cases of diarrhoea (half of them among children under five years old); 55,400 cases of lice and scabies; 42,700 cases of skin rash, as well as outbreaks of jaundice and meningitis.

“Lack of food, basic survival items, and poor hygiene, further exacerbate the already dire living conditions of IDPs, amplify protection and mental health issues, and increase the spread of disease,” OCHA said. 

Israel presses on: The OCHA said that on Friday, multiple locations were targeted by the Israeli military in Khan Younis and Rafah in southern Gaza, with airstrikes and missiles striking housing units and infrastructure, reportedly resulting in high numbers of fatalities in areas where Palestinians have relocated.

As it presses on with its campaign, Israel has repeatedly called on residents in different parts of Gaza to leave but the UN has previously warned they have nowhere to go.

CNN analysis found that Israel has struck at least three locations in Gaza to which it had ordered civilians to evacuate to since the beginning of the war in October. 

10 hr 39 min ago

Israel expands Gaza offensive as UN officials raise alarms about the peril for civilians. Here's the latest

From CNN Staff

Smoke rises as a result of Israeli attacks in Khan Younis, Gaza on December 29.

Smoke rises as a result of Israeli attacks in Khan Younis, Gaza on December 29. Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu/Getty Images)

Israel's military said it was “extending operations” and dismantling Hamas infrastructure in the Khan Younis area of southern Gaza on Friday, while also claiming to have destroyed a network of tunnels near Gaza City along with one of the “hideout apartments” belonging to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

While the Israel Defense Forces reported its progress on the ground, officials with the United Nations are again raising the alarm about the consequences for Gaza's civilians.

The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said in a post on X Thursday that over 150,000 people “have nowhere to go” after the latest IDF warning to evacuate large portions of central Gaza.

Even civilians who have reached shelters have not always been able to escape harm. The UNRWA said Friday that at least 308 people taking refuge in its shelters had been killed — and at least 1,095 others wounded — since the most recent fighting began in the enclave on October 7.

And, the UN relief chief on Thursday described the frustrations of getting aid into the enclave, where an acute hunger crisis is impacting millions. UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths described “constant bombardments. Poor communications. Damaged roads. Convoys shot at. Delays at checkpoints." He added that "this is an impossible situation for people of Gaza and those trying to help them.”

Here are some of the other key updates Friday:

More from Israel's ground operations: In Khan Younis, the IDF said its troops fought Hamas using aerial strikes, snipers and tank fire over the past day. In Gaza City, the discovery of Sinwar's "hideout" was part of a network of tunnels located and destroyed "in recent weeks," the IDF said Friday. Israeli officials claim the "long and branching" tunnel system was used by senior Hamas officials. CNN cannot independently verify the IDF’s claims.

Israel faces potential case in international court: South Africa has filed an application at the International Court of Justice to begin proceedings over allegations of genocide against Israel for its war against Hamas in Gaza, the court said. Israel has rejected South Africa’s claims, saying the country "is calling for the destruction of the State of Israel," and that its "claim lacks both a factual and a legal basis." Israel also faced renewed condemnation from the United Arab Emirates Friday, with the country's ambassador to the UN calling Israel's defense declarations and stated aims in the war against Hamas a "fallacy."

35 killed in Israeli strikes, mostly women and children: Thirty-five Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded after Israeli airstrikes struck residential buildings in central Gaza overnight, Dr. Khalil Al-Dikran, head of nursing at the Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza, told CNN Friday. Most of the dead and wounded were women and children, and many were dismembered, he said.

IDF accepts "unintended harm" to civilians in airstrike that killed 70: The IDF has acknowledged there was what it calls “unintended harm” to civilians as a result of airstrikes in central Gaza on December 24. The strikes were against targets in the Al-Maghazi refugee camp. About 70 people were killed in the strikes, according to the Hamas-controlled health ministry.

Dispatch of aid into Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing has resumed after it was suspended for several days due to “security incidents,” the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Friday.

A total of 81 trucks carrying food and medicine entered Gaza on Friday through both the Kerem Shalom crossing from Israel and the Rafah crossing from Egypt, the UN agency reported.

But OCHA also warned the volume of aid entering the ravaged Palestinian enclave “remains woefully inadequate.” Before October 7, the UN reported an average daily delivery of 455 trucks carrying commercial goods into Gaza.

Some background: The Kerem Shalom crossing was closed from December 25 to 28 due to "security incidents" that had been reported in its vicinity since it was opened on December 17, according to OCHA.

Those incidents included a deadly drone strike on December 25, the seizing of aid from food convoys by desperate local communities and “unannounced and uncoordinated prisoner and casualty transfers from Israel which rendered the crossing unusable for hours at a time,” the agency said.

Earlier on Friday, Tal Heinrich, spokesperson for the Israeli prime minister, said the UN requested the closure of the crossing on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday “for aid inspections, due to congestion on the Gaza side.”

Heinrich also insisted that Israel was not limiting the amount of humanitarian aid that can enter the enclave, saying that suggesting otherwise is a “fallacy.”

10 hr 41 min ago

United Nations relief chief condemns firing on aid convoy in Gaza

From CNN's Abeer Salman and Michael Rios

The United Nations relief chief Martin Griffiths speaks during a press conference on the situation in Gaza, at UN Building in Geneva, on November 15.

The United Nations relief chief Martin Griffiths speaks during a press conference on the situation in Gaza, at UN Building in Geneva, on November 15. Jean-Guy Python/AFP/Getty Images

The United Nations relief chief Martin Griffiths issued a statement Friday condemning a UN aid convoy being fired upon the previous day in Gaza. 

 "The convoy was clearly marked and its movements were coordinated with the parties. Attacks on humanitarian workers are unlawful," Griffiths said.

The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Gaza has said the convoy was fired on by Israeli soldiers, according to the organization's director Thomas White.

The Israeli military told CNN it is investigating the incident.

"We never, ever intentionally fire on a humanitarian organization," Israeli military spokesperson Doron Spielman told CNN on Friday. "If this was a mistake and if this is verified, we will come forth and say it.”

The convoy was made up of seven UN vehicles, including two armored vehicles, with their exteriors marked with the letters “UN,” UNRWA Communications Director Juliette Touma told CNN on Friday.

Touma also said the convoy had been asked to change its route.

It is not yet clear why the convoy was asked to make the change, and how much time elapsed between the reported request to change the convoy’s route and the reported firing by Israeli soldiers.

11 hr 4 min ago

Media amplifications of Israel's claims against UNRWA result in "baseless misinformation," UNRWA chief says

From CNN's Kareem El Damanhoury

The chief of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is urging media organizations to verify information, including from government officials, before publishing.

In a statement Friday, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini responded to claims from Israeli officials blaming UNRWA for aid delivery gaps in Gaza. 

“Over the past days, several statements from Israeli officials have insinuated or directly held UNRWA responsible for gaps in aid deliveries in the Gaza Strip," Lazzarini said. "These statements were amplified by Israeli and other mainstream and social media, creating a stream of baseless misinformation."

On Friday, Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy accused UNRWA of covering up for Hamas' alleged hijacking of aid in Gaza, describing the UN's aid mechanism as "woefully unsuccessful." 

Earlier in December, Israel's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) appeared to blame the UN for aid delay, saying it "must do better." 

Lazzarini said even after the opening of Kerem Shalom border crossing for aid delivery, Israeli authorities have severely restricted humanitarian access through constant bombardment, regular disruptions of phone and internet services, long delays at the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings as well as restricted access to the northern part of the strip.

“I call on the Israeli Authorities, other parties to the conflict and those with influence over them to safeguard an environment for safe and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid," Lazzarini said. “This is not the time to exchange accusations and promote misinformation."

10 hr 5 min ago

WHO is very concerned over spread of infectious diseases in Gaza

From CNN's Kareem El Damanhoury and Cat Nichols

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, attends a press briefing at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, on December 15.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, attends a press briefing at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, on December 15. Lian Yi/Xinhua/Getty Images

The World Health Organization (WHO) said it is very concerned over the spread of infectious diseases in Gaza as hundreds of thousands of Palestinians remain displaced, with many in overcrowded shelters and health facilities.

In a statement Friday, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the following diseases and conditions were documented in shelters across the strip from mid-October to mid-December:

About 180,000 cases of upper respiratory infections

136,400 cases of diarrhea — half among children under 5 years old

55,400 cases of lice and scabies

5,330 cases of chickenpox

42,700 cases of skin rash

4,683 cases of acute jaundice syndrome

126 cases of meningitis

"WHO and partners are working tirelessly to support the health authorities to increase disease surveillance and control by supplying medicines, testing kits to support prompt detection and response to infectious diseases such as hepatitis, and trying to improve access to safe water, food, hygiene and sanitation services," the statement read. 

So far, 1.9 million Palestinians, constituting around 85% of Gaza's population, have been displaced since October 7, according to UNRWA. 

Meanwhile, only 13 out of 36 hospitals remain partially functioning across Gaza, with another two minimally functioning, the WHO said in a statement Wednesday. 

11 hr 20 min ago

IDF says it destroyed the hideout of a top Hamas official and tunnel system in northern Gaza Strip 

From Tamar Michaelis and CNN’s Mitchell McCluskey

Yahya Sinwar, Hamas' leader in Gaza, attends a meeting in Gaza City on April 13, 2022. 

Yahya Sinwar, Hamas' leader in Gaza, attends a meeting in Gaza City on April 13, 2022. Ali Jadallah/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images/FILE

The Israel Defense Forces claimed Friday to have destroyed a network of tunnels and one of the “hideout apartments” belonging to Yahya Sinwar, Hamas' leader in Gaza. 

The IDF’s 14th Reserve Brigade Combat Team located and destroyed the apartment near Gaza City “in recent weeks,” the IDF said. 

The IDF said the apartment was part of “a long and branching tunnel network” that was used by senior Hamas officials. During an inspection of the apartment, soldiers with the IDF’s Yahalom Unit discovered a 20-meter-deep (about 66 feet) tunnel shaft in the basement floor. The shaft led to a 218-meter-long (about 715 feet) tunnel that contained an electrical network, ventilation and sewage infrastructure, as well as prayer rooms, the IDF said. 

“The tunnel was built so that it would be possible to stay inside it and conduct combat from it for long periods of time,” the IDF said in a news release.

The tunnel was subsequently destroyed by the IDF’s Yahalom Unit.

CNN cannot independently verify the IDF’s claims. 

Some background: Earlier in December, Israeli forces said they had surrounded Sinwar's house. The IDF said Sinwar was not in the house and was believed to be hiding underground in Gaza, but a senior adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that it was “only a matter of time before we get him.”

Israel has publicly accused Sinwar of being the “mastermind” behind Hamas’ terror attack against Israel on October 7 – though experts say he is likely one of several – making him one of the key targets of its war in Gaza.

He was elected to Hamas’ main decision-making body, the Politburo, in 2017 as the political leader of Hamas in Gaza branch. However, he has since become the Politburo’s de facto leader, according to research by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR). He has been designated a global terrorist by the US Department of State since 2015, and has been recently sanctioned by the United Kingdom and France.

11 hr 19 min ago

Biden administration bypasses Congress, again, to sell more military equipment to Israel

From CNN's Jennifer Hansler and Oren Liebermann

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks to the media prior to departure from Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai on December 1. 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks to the media prior to departure from Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai on December 1. Saul Loeb/Pool/Reuters/FILE

The Biden administration bypassed Congress to approve a nearly $150 million sale of military equipment to Israel for the second time this month.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken informed Congress that he has made an emergency determination to immediately approve the transfer of "155mm ancillary items including fuzes, charges, and primers that make 155mm shells functional," a State Department spokesperson said Friday.

"Given the urgency of Israel’s defensive needs, the Secretary notified Congress that he had exercised his delegated authority to determine an emergency existed necessitating the immediate approval of the transfer," the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said the additional items were added to previous sales, which "increased the total value of the sale to $147.5 million."

Earlier this month, the administration rushed forward a sale of thousands of munitions to Israel, bypassing the standard 20-day period that congressional committees are typically afforded to review such a sale. The State Department sent an emergency declaration to the oversight committees that more than 13,000 tank shells would be delivered to Israel without any “further information, details or assurances.”

“We continue to be clear with the government of Israel that they must comply with [international humanitarian law] and must take every feasible step to avoid harm to civilians," a State Department spokesperson said at the time.

The $106 million transaction was part of a larger request to sell a total of 45,000 tank shells to Israel.

11 hr 20 min ago

UN aid agency in Gaza claims convoy came under fire from Israeli soldiers

From CNN’s Kareem Khadder and Manveena Suri

A United Nations aid convoy came under fire from Israeli soldiers in Gaza on Thursday, according to the Director of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Gaza.

“Israeli soldiers fired at an aid convoy as it returned from Northern Gaza along a route designated by the Israeli Army,” Thomas White wrote in a post on X on Friday.

While no one was injured, White said “aid workers should never be a target” in his post.

The convoy was composed of seven UN vehicles, including two armored vehicles, with their exteriors marked with the letters “UN,” UNRWA Communications Director Juliette Touma told CNN on Friday.

According to Touma, the incident occurred between Gaza City and Nuseirat after aid deliveries were made in Gaza City’s Rimal neighborhood.

She stated that the incident occurred south of Wadi Gaza, located around five kilometers (or about 3.10 miles) away from Gaza City, after the convoy passed through an Israeli checkpoint.

Touma also told CNN that the convoy had been asked to change its route.

It is not yet clear why the convoy was asked to make the change, and how much time elapsed between the reported request to change the convoy’s route and the reported firing by IDF soldiers.

The IDF tells CNN it is looking into the reports.

Aid frustration: The United Nations relief chief has previously described the "impossible situation" of getting aid into Gaza, where an acute hunger crisis is impacting millions as Israel presses on with its offensive against Hamas. UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths described “constant bombardments. Poor communications. Damaged roads. Convoys shot at. Delays at checkpoints," adding: “This is an impossible situation for people of Gaza and those trying to help them.”

“You think getting aid into Gaza is easy? Think again,” he said.

11 hr 20 min ago

More than 300 people sheltering in UN shelters have been killed since Israel-Hamas war began, agency says

From CNN's Tim Lister, Kareem Khadder, and Hande Atay Alam 

At least 308 people sheltering in shelters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) have been killed and at least 1,095 have been injured since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7, the agency said Friday on X, formerly known as Twitter.  

The UNRWA also noted that "initial reports indicate on 25 December, 2 people sheltering in @UNRWA Maghazi Prep School were killed & 1 injured, result of a direct strike."

CNN cannot independently verify these numbers.

In a statement sent to CNN on Thursday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that during “operations in the Gaza Strip against Hamas terrorist targets, IAF fighter jets struck two targets adjacent to which Hamas operatives were located on December 24, 2023.” 

The strikes were against targets in the Al-Maghazi refugee camp. According to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry, some 70 people were killed in the strikes.

The IDF has acknowledged that there was what it calls “unintended harm” to civilians as a result of air strikes in central Gaza on December 24.

“Before the strikes were carried out, steps were taken by the IDF to mitigate harm to uninvolved civilians in the area. A preliminary investigation revealed that additional buildings located near the targets were also hit during the strikes, which likely caused unintended harm to additional uninvolved civilians,” the statement said. 

The IDF said the strikes would be further investigated by the General Staff’s Fact Finding and Assessment Mechanism. It said the IDF regretted the harm caused to uninvolved civilians and is acting to draw conclusions and learn lessons from this event.

More on the situation on the ground: Nearly 1.4 million displaced people are sheltering in 156 UNRWA installations with another 500,000 registered and accessing services from UNRWA, according to the agency's statement on its official website on Wednesday. 

The average number of internally displaced people in UNRWA shelters located in the middle and southern areas is over 12,000, UNRWA also said, adding, "This is more than four times their capacity."

The IDF warned residents on Thursday in many parts of central Gaza that they must urgently leave while its operations against Hamas continue. The IDF issued a message in Arabic on X, formerly Twitter, instructing people in 15 identified blocks south of Wadi Gaza to move to shelters. The areas include the Al-Bureij refugee camp. 

The lack of communications and internet access in Gaza, which have been degraded by Israeli air strikes, make it difficult to assess how many residents would be aware of what the IDF calls “urgent instructions."

11 hr 20 min ago

South Africa files genocide case against Israel at International Court of Justice

From CNN's Kareem Khadder, Pierre Meilhan, Bethlehem Feleke and Tamar Michaelis

The Peace Palace, which houses the seat of the the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, is pictured on September 19. 

The Peace Palace, which houses the seat of the the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, is pictured on September 19. Peter Dejong/AP

South Africa has filed an application at the International Court of Justice to begin proceedings over allegations of genocide against Israel for its war against Hamas in Gaza, the court said.

In its application, South Africa accuses Israel of being “in violation of its obligations under the Genocide Convention” and that “acts and omissions by Israel ... are genocidal in character, as they are committed with the requisite specific intent ... to destroy Palestinians in Gaza as a part of the broader Palestinian national, racial and ethnical group,” the ICJ said in a statement.

Israel, through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, rejected South Africa’s claims and application to the World Court, saying South Africa "is calling for the destruction of the State of Israel," and that its "claim lacks both a factual and a legal basis."

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed South Africa's move to begin proceedings over the genocide allegations.

"The Court must immediately take action to protect the Palestinian people and call on Israel, the occupying Power, to halt its onslaught against the Palestinian people, in order to ensure an objective legal resolution," the Palestinian foreign ministry said in a statement Friday. 

"The existence of the Palestinian people is under unprecedented threat as we are facing a moral and legal catastrophe of enormous proportions undermining our shared humanity and the essence of the multilateral order," the statement read.

Some background: South Africa and Israel are both parties to the Genocide Convention, according to the ICJ, which is also known as the World Court and is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations.

The role of the International Court of Justice is to handle disputes between member states, whereas the International Criminal Court tries individuals.