One Year on ICJ Genocide Order: Ongoing Israeli Violations and Global Complicity

On 26 January 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued its provisional measures, determining the plausibility that Israel is carrying out genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, and ordered Israel to:

1. prevent the commission of genocidal acts
2. prevent and punish public incitement to genocide
3. ensure aid and services reach Palestinians

However, Israel has continued to violate the legally binding order, as well as subsequent orders issued by the Court in March and May 2024, and even after the ceasefire deal of 19 January 2025.

Killings and Causing Serious Bodily or Mental Harm

During the reporting period, the Israeli colonial regime’s genocide continued with relentless aerial and artillery bombardment, targeting hospitals, schools, displacement shelters, and homes, resulting in the killing of over 8,000 Palestinians and injuring more than 20,000 between 27 July 2024 and 26 January 2025.

These are the most atrocious killing incidents over the six-month period: 

• Bombing Shelter Schools: In August 2024 alone, the Israeli military bombed 16 schools used as shelters for forcibly displaced Palestinians, killing 217 people and injuring hundreds more.

• Al-Mawasi Khan Younis Massacre: On 10 September 2024, Israeli warplanes targeted displaced Palestinians sleeping in their tents in the so-called “humanitarian zone” in Al-Mawasi Khan Yunis. The explosions created deep craters, burying about 20 tents with the families still inside, killing and injuring over 60 Palestinians.

• Siege of Northern Gaza: On 4 October 2024, the Israeli military launched a brutal offensive and siege on Northern Gaza, targeting areas like Jabalia, Beit Hanoun, and Beit Lahia. The siege lasted more than 100 days and resulted in the killing and forced disappearance of over 5,000 Palestinians, and the injury of 9,500 others. Hundreds were killed in aerial bombardments, artillery strikes, and executions by Israeli snipers. In addition, some martyrs were burned alive, others were trapped under rubble, and many who were forced to flee or seek food were targeted by snipers, drones and quadcopters.

• Flour Massacre: On 13 November 2024, the Israeli army opened fire on around 200 Palestinians, northwest of Gaza City, as they waited for humanitarian aid, following nearly 50 days of complete aid denial. Many were forced to seek shelter in a nearby house, when the army bombed the building. The massacre resulted in the killing and injury of 70 Palestinians. 

Ongoing Torture: During the first ceasefire phase, more than 700 Palestinian prisoners have been released, most of whom are coming out with visible signs of torture and abuse on their bodies, including bruises and burns. Most have lost significant weight due to intentional malnutrition and starvation. Many were immediately taken to hospitals for critical treatment due to Israel’s systemic medical negligence in prisons. Freed prisoners have recounted horrifying experiences of severe torture, intentional starvation, prolonged solidarity confinement, in addition to psychological abuse. One freed prisoner said the prison administration has been waging a “fierce attack” on the prisoners over the past 16 months, subjecting them to starvation, beatings, and abuse, forcing them to sleep in extreme cold, and confiscating their clothing and blankets. Over 58 Palestinians politictal prisoners have died under torture and ill-treatment in Israeli prisons between 7 October 2023 and 29 January 2025.

Inflicting Conditions of Life to Bring about Physical Destruction

Ongoing Forced Displacement: During August 2024 alone, the Israeli colonial authorities issued 16 evacuation orders—an average of one every two days—including in areas previously designated as part of the so-called “humanitarian safe zone.” This further debunks Israeli claims that any place in Gaza can be considered safe. These orders affected over 250,000 Palestinians and severely disrupted hospital operations and humanitarian efforts. By the end of August, the UN announced that it had been forced to suspend its aid operations in Gaza due to Israel’s evacuation orders.

Children Freezing to Death: Between December 2024 and 14 January 2025, seven babies died from hypothermia, including the tragic case of a two-week-old infant, Sila. Her father recounted: “In the morning, her mother picked her up and found her blue, her tongue sticking out of her mouth, and she was biting it, and blood was dripping from her nose and mouth on her face. She immediately took her to the nearby UNRWA clinic, where they said her heart had stopped because of the cold.” These tragic deaths were the result of Israel’s deliberate creation of destructive conditions in Gaza—forcing 90% of the population into displacement, cramming them into overcrowded shelters and then bombing them, destroying the healthcare system, and blocking the entry of essential supplies such as tents and medical aid. This systematic deprivation has effectively sentenced Palestinians to starvation, disease, and death.

The Siege of Northern Gaza: One of the most horrific examples of Israel’s deliberate inflicting of exterminating conditions against Palestinians during the reported period was the siege of northern Gaza, which lasted for over 100 days, from October 2024, until the ceasefire took effect on 19 January 2025.

On 5 October 2024, the Israeli military launched brutal offensives specifically targeting Jabalia, Beit Hanoun, and Beit Lahia. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were subjected to the so-called “Generals’ Plan,” which aimed to forcibly empty Northern Gaza by cutting off humanitarian and medical aid, coercing displacement, and designating those who remained as military targets, paving the way for Gaza’s annexation. The siege was accompanied with relentless aerial and artillery bombardment, executions, starvation, new forcible displacement orders – with nowhere to go -, and communication blackout. 

The Israeli military forced Palestinians to choose between displacement or death. Over 200,000 Palestinians were forcibly displaced from northern Gaza, while at least 75,000  remained trapped, deprived of medical aid, food, and any form of humanitarian relief. They endured starvation under relentless bombings, massacres, summary executions, and mass detentions. Schools serving as shelters were bombed or forcibly evacuated. Tents sheltering displaced families were shelled, burning people alive. Those searching for food or shelter were also targeted by Israeli snipers, quadcopters, and drones. On 1 November, UN agencies warned of the apocalyptic situation in northern Gaza, stating that “the entire Palestinian population in North Gaza is at imminent risk of dying from disease, famine and violence.” 

Furthermore, as part of its offensive on the north, Israel accelerated its attacks on hospitals, including by raiding and attacking them, cutting off supplies and destroying vital equipment, attacking patients and medical staff. Kamal Adwan Hospital, the last major functioning health facility in Northern Gaza, was forced out of service in late December as part of Israel’s siege. Following weeks of bombardment and attacks, the assault culminated in a deadly raid on December 27, when Israeli forces bombed and torched the hospital, forcing hundreds of patients and displaced families to evacuate. Several medical staff were burned alive in fires ignited during the raid.

A volunteer paramedic recounted how the Israeli colonial army used detonating booby-trapped robots near several homes near the hospitals, killing civilians inside. He recounted how he and another 13 Palestinians were sheltering in a home, when the army began shelling it: “We shouted that we were civilians. The homeowner stepped out, waving a white flag, but the soldiers immediately shot him dead from close range…Later, the army sent a civilian (a Palestinian detainee) to tell us to surrender. We said we were civilians and raised a white flag. They led us to an open area near a cemetery, where we were forced to strip down to our underclothes and stand in the freezing cold. When the child with the psychological disorder stepped out, he ran towards an Israeli tank. I called out to him, but he didn’t respond. They shot him dead immediately…Among us were five injured individuals who were forced to walk in front of the tank. Suddenly, they were shot dead without any questioning.” Other testimonies revealed that female medical staff and patients were subjected to sexual harassment, and forced to remove their clothing under threats, and offensive slurs.

Furthermore, Israel arrested over 240 Palestinians from the hospital, including the hospital’s director, Dr. Husam Abu Safiya. Footage shows Israeli soldiers forcing Dr. Abu Safiya to walk toward a military tank during his arrest. His fate remained unknown until 11 February 2025, when his lawyer was finally granted access to him. It was then revealed that he had endured severe torture, including being beaten with an electrci stick, 25 days of solitary confinement and denial of medical care for his heart condition. 

Overall, the siege on the north has killed and led to the disappearance of over 5,000 Palestinians, and injured over 9,500. Martyrs’ bodies and injured were trapped under the rubble and piled on the streets, as medical and civil defense teams were unable to reach them without risking their own lives. By the time the ceasefire was declared, 80% of Northern Gaza had been completely destroyed and rendered uninhabitable. Local authorities declared it a disaster zone, with no remaining hospitals, schools, shelters, roads or infrastructure.

Disrupting Humanitarian Aid

During the reporting period, the Israeli colonial regime continued to intentionally hamper the process of humanitarian aid delivery, including through accelerating the banning campaign against UNRWA; the continued closure of land and border crossings; the establishment of checkpoints and movement restrictions inside Gaza; opening fire on starving Palestinians; and crippling the work of humanitarian agencies by attacking or detaining aid workers. 

Since the provisional measures ordering unimpeded aid delivery into Gaza in January 2024, even fewer aid trucks have entered daily compared to the already insufficient pre-genocide levels. Before the genocide, an average of 500 aid trucks entered Gaza each day—far from adequate for a population under blockade. However, during the reported period, this number plummeted drastically. In October 2024, UNRWA reported that only 30 trucks entered Gaza daily, representing just 6% of the supplies, including commercial and humanitarian goods, that were allowed before the genocide. Additionally, the United Nations World Food Programme reported that no food aid entered northern Gaza in October 2024.

After months of its criminalisation campaign against UNRWA, on 28 October 2024, the Israeli Knesset passed legislation banning the agency “from operating any representation, providing any services, or conducting any activities in what is referred to as “the sovereign territory of the State of Israel”. This illegal banning is already inflicting devastating consequences on  millions of Palestinians refugees, specifically those in Gaza who are now in desperate need of urgent humanitarian aid and education and health care services.

No Prevention of Public Incitement to Genocide

During the reporting period, Israeli officials, settlers, and civilians continued to incite for ethnically cleansing Palestinians, furthering the settlement and colonization of Gaza, and obstructing the delivery of humanitarian aid.

• On 25 November 2024, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich openly declared plans to reduce Gaza’s population by half within two years through “voluntary migration.” He further stated that Israel “can and must occupy the Gaza Strip” and that this approach should serve as a “model” for the West Bank.
• On 28 November 2024, Israel’s Housing Minister visited Gaza alongside Daniella Weiss, head of the Nachala Settlement Movement. He tweeted about his plans to reestablish settlements in Gaza, sharing a photo of himself looking at a map of planned settlements and calling this the “answer to the ICC.”

After the revelation of a gang rape of a Palestinian prisoner at the Sde Teiman detention facility, ten soldiers from Force 100 were arrested on 29 July 2024. The case sparked debate in Israeli society and government over whether rape was acceptable. When the arrests took place, dozens of Israelis stormed the facility to protest the arrest. Prosecutors later released five of the accused soldiers. On 19 February 2025, the remaining soldiers were charged with causing severe injury and assault under aggravated circumstances—but not with aggravated sodomy, the equivalent of rape. Israeli media’s coverage of the rape of Palestinian detainees shows support for sexual violence. One Israeli TV show brought one of the accused Israeli rapists to “defend” himself on a live show, as he received a number of standing ovations from the studio audience as he told his story of being the unfairly treated victim.

Global Complicity and Concluding Remarks

When the ICJ issued its provisional measures on 26 January 2024, we saw it as a crucial legal tool to mobilize political action against genocide. Month after month, we compiled documentation demonstrating Israel’s stark violations of the ICJ’s orders, aiming to push policymakers and those in power to pressure Israel to enforce the legally binding orders from the top world court. Yet, despite clear and overwhelming proof, the response of the international community has been defined by inaction, double standards, and complicity.

From the beginning of the genocide, what was needed to stop the extermination of Palestinians was immediate and decisive political action—sanctions, arms and energy embargoes, accountability, and the isolation of a genocidal state. Instead, the majority of states rewarded the colonial state of Israel with continued diplomatic, economic, and military support, enabling the massacre of over 50,000 Palestinians and the destruction of Gaza.

Despite the various international rulings, including three provisional measures orders and an Advisory Opinion from the International Court of Justice—ordering that Israel end its occupation, and halt genocidal acts in Gaza —Israel’s impunity was sustained by the international community. Of the 153 state parties to the Genocide Convention, only 17 intervened in the ICJ genocide case. Meanwhile, the ICJ’s advisory opinion ordering states to cooperate to bring Israel’s illegal occupation to an end, is also deliberately ignored. Meanwhile, the ICC’s arrest warrants against Israeli war criminals Netanyahu and Gallant have not only gone unenforced but have been met with attacks and skepticism from Western powers, including the U.K, France and Poland. In February 2025, the U.S. government imposed sanctions on the ICC for issuing arrest warrants for Israeli officials, further emboldening Israel’s impunity.

At the national level, judicial rulings and litigation cases against Israel’s war crimes and the complicity of states and corporations have also been impeded by the judiciary, while in others, when courts have ruled in favor of holding Israel and its accomplices to account, these decisions have been ignored, circumvented, or undermined by governments. In the UK, Netherlands, and Denmark, cases challenging arms exports to Israel have been circumvented, or neglected by governments, demonstrating the double standards that shield Israel from accountability. While in the U.S, the Netherlands, and Germany, courts have dismissed cases and blocked the enforcement of international law, highlighting how national legal systems serve the interests of complicit governments.

The broader legal landscape has been increasingly weaponized to suppress Palestinian activism and legal efforts toward justice. Governments, local authorities, and institutions have adopted laws and policies that hinder Palestinian advocacy and efforts to hold Israel accountable. This includes the adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which conflate criticism of Israel with antisemitism, and anti-BDS legislation that penalizes supporters of sanctions and boycotts of apartheid Israel, resulting in widespread censorship and suppression of Palestinian advocacy.

Solidarity protests with Palestinian people have been banned in at least 12 European counties, including Germany, France, Sweden and Italy. The crackdown has also included physical attacks and arrest of protesters, as well as the ban and restrictions of Palestinian symbols and slogans including the Palestinian flag. Arbitrary work suspensions and terminations of employment are also on the rise for expressions of solidarity with Palestine. On U.S. campuses, students and teachers leading encampments to cut ties with apartheid Israel have faced mass arrests, physical assaults, and legal persecution for their activism. New laws are now targeting such activism with deportations.

Simultaneously, governments have fostered environments in which individuals and organizations advocating for accountability against Israel face retaliation and threats by either directly pushing for state policies or through allowing Zionist lobby groups to target and smear advocates. This  repressive environment occurs amidst a rise in hate speech and hate crimes targeting Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims.

International law continues to affirm what Palestinians have long demanded—the end of Israel’s apartheid and occupation regime and the realization of Palestinians’ rights to self-determination and return. Yet, time and again, the global system, monopolized by Western powers, obstructs its implementation when it comes to Palestine. For Palestinians, legal avenues have been a tool in their struggle. But when the very system meant to uphold justice is incapable of sustaining the rule of law and preventing a live-streamed genocide—thus aiding in the continuation of colonial oppression—it is imperative to forge new paths.

In light of the above, we have come to the conclusion of our ICJ briefs, having achieved our goal of monitoring factual data against legal obligations. After a year of monitoring, it is further evident that the Israeli colonial regime, along with states complicit in the genocide, have no respect for the rule of law, development, peace, or security. Our advocacy efforts will continue to strive in the pursuit of justice and liberation by creating and utilizing functional tools and contributing to the replacement of non-functional ones.

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This brief has been prepared by the Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy (PIPD). For related inquiries, please reach out to us at: info@thepipd.com.