Dutch government "urgently" asks Israel to stop attacking Rafah
The Dutch government has “urgently” called on Israel to stop attacking Rafah after the country bombed a tent camp where many thousands of Palestinians sought refuge as per the instructions of the Israeli armed forces in the preceding months. Outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Minster Hanke Bruins Slot of Foreign Affairs called the reports and images of the attacks “appalling.”
On Friday, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to immediately stop attacking Rafah in a genocide case brought by South Africa.
“The appalling images from Rafah highlight once more the necessity of an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all hostages,” Rutte wrote on X. The “appalling images” Rutte mentions show mass destruction and many victims, including a beheaded child. “The Netherlands urgently calls on Israel to comply with the Order of the International Court of Justice.”
“Appalling reports of many civilian casualties after an attack at a tent camp in Rafah,” Bruins Slot wrote on the social media platform. “The Netherlands once again calls for an immediate ceasefire that should lead to the release of the hostages and much more humanitarian aid in Gaza.”
Until the ICJ interim ruling on Friday, the Netherlands always refused to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, defending Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas. In March, Rutte said that it would be a “game-changer” if Israel invaded Rafah, leading to “a political moment that will have consequences. So far, Israel’s weeks-long ground offensive in the city in the Gaza Strip, occupied by most of the Palestinian population because the Israeli army told them for months to seek safety there, has not led to the consequences Rutte spoke of.
This bloodbath started on October 7, when Hamas committed terrorist attacks in Israel, killing around 1,139 people and injuring 8,730 others. Israel immediately responded by bombing Gaza and hasn’t stopped since, claiming its right to self-defense.
In the ICJ case, South Africa argued that the right of self-defense does not give a state a license to use unlimited violence, and it does not justify genocide. South Africa also pointed to a 2004 ruling by the court stating that there is no right to self-defense by an occupying state against the territory it occupies.
As of 3:45 p.m. on May 27, Israeli attacks have killed 36,050 people in Gaza, including more than 15,000 children. Over 80,643 people are injured, and more than 10,000 are missing, Al Jazeera reported based on figures from the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
