Netanyahu disclaims Gaza occupation and displacement plan ahead of International Court of Justice session
Egypt and Jordan call on Israel to allow displaced residents to return to their homes as fighting continues in the Gaza Strip
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied on Wednesday evening any intention by Tel Aviv to permanently occupy Gaza or displace its civilian population, contradicting previous statements on the matter.
This move comes ahead of a session at the International Court of Justice following a lawsuit filed by South Africa accusing the Hebrew state of committing genocide. Netanyahu said in a televised address in English, broadcasted on his “X” platform account, “I want to clarify some points; Israel has no intention of permanently occupying Gaza or displacing its civilian population.”
He continued, “Israel is fighting Hamas, not the Palestinian civilians,” adding, “We do so with full compliance with international law.” In his speech, he said, “The Israeli army is making every effort to minimize civilian casualties,” claiming that the Israeli army “urges Palestinian civilians to leave war zones through distributing leaflets, making phone calls, and providing safe passages, while Hamas prevents Palestinians from leaving under the threat of weapons and often by firing.”
He added, “Our goal is to rid Gaza of Hamas and liberate Israeli hostages. Once this is achieved, Gaza can be disarmed of weapons and extremism, thus creating the possibility of a better future for both Israel and Palestinians alike.”
On December 25th last year, the Israeli newspaper “Israel Hayom” reported that Netanyahu was working on “achieving the voluntary displacement of Gaza residents to other countries.” At that time, Netanyahu said in a session of the Likud party under his leadership, “Our problem is the countries willing to absorb refugees, and we are working on solving it,” according to the same source.
Amid the continued intensification of the Israeli war in Gaza, the International Court of Justice, also known as the World Court, is scheduled to hold hearings on Thursday and Friday in a lawsuit filed by South Africa in December, accusing the Israeli state of committing genocide against fighters of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in Gaza, violating the 1948 Genocide Convention.
Elon Levy, the government spokesman, said on Wednesday, “Tomorrow, Israel will appear before the International Court of Justice to refute the baseless (bloodshed) accusations launched by South Africa, as Pretoria provides political and legal cover to the Hamas regime.”
The hearings will exclusively address South Africa’s request for urgent measures instructing Israel to suspend its military operations in Gaza while the court listens to the details of the case in a process that could last for years. Colombia and Brazil expressed their support for South Africa late on Wednesday.
Israel launched its attack after Hamas fighters carried out a cross-border raid on October 7th, which Israel said resulted in the killing of 1,200 people and the detention of 240 others. Since then, the Israeli forces have destroyed vast areas of the Gaza Strip, forcing almost all of its approximately 2.3 million inhabitants to evacuate at least once, causing a humanitarian catastrophe.
More than 23,000 Palestinians have been killed. Jordan and Egypt warned on Wednesday against any Israeli reoccupation of the Gaza Strip and called for allowing displaced residents to return to their homes during a meeting between Jordanian King Abdullah and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. On the ground in Gaza, there were no indications of a decrease in the intensity of the fighting. Israeli airstrikes intensified in the southern and central parts of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, despite Israel’s commitment to withdraw some of its forces and shift to a more precise operation.
Daniel Hagee, the chief spokesman for the Israeli army, said in a late-night press conference on Wednesday, “The Israeli army is focusing its operations on Khan Yunis and refugee camps in the central sector.” In the latest indication of the widening scope of the three-month-long ongoing war, U.S. and British warships in the Red Sea thwarted the largest attack launched by the Houthi group in Yemen so far in support of Gaza.
Washington and London said they shot down 21 rockets and drones targeting navigation lines, with no reported injuries. Late on Wednesday, the United Nations Security Council approved a resolution calling on the Houthis to immediately halt their attacks on ships. Israel announced this week that it plans to begin withdrawing its forces, at least from the northern part of Gaza, after weeks of U.S. pressure to scale back its operations and shift to what Washington says should be a more precise campaign.
The World Health Organization canceled a medical aid mission to Gaza due to security concerns, marking the sixth cancellation of its kind in two weeks.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said that four of its crew members were killed when an Israeli airstrike targeted the ambulance they were traveling in on the main road near Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. Two passengers in the ambulance were injured and later died.
Officials at the Abu Yousef al-Najjar Hospital in Rafah said that four Palestinian children were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a house in Rafah. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, as part of his fourth tour of the region since the start of the war, headed to Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday and met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
The U.S. State Department said that Blinken expressed his support for the establishment of a Palestinian state and discussed efforts to protect and assist civilians in Gaza. The Palestinian Authority said that Abbas emphasized to Blinken the refusal to allow the displacement of any Palestinians from Gaza or the West Bank.
