Israel's war on Gaza: What the international courts have said

Israel’s war on Gaza has seen cases brought against it in both the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC).

They result from the declaration of war on the Palestine enclave on 7 October 2023, following one of the deadliest days in Israel’s history. Hours earlier, Hamas had led an attack on southern Israel, during which more than 1,100 people were killed. More than 250 people, including 38 children, were taken captive, 96 of whom are reported to be in Gaza.

The Israeli response resulted in one of the worst years of recorded atrocities against civilians in recent history. Nearly 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in bombardments and attacks that have continued on a near-daily basis, including the largest reported killings of children and women in a similar period for the past two decades. Thousands more are missing and feared dead.

Now Israel faces some of its most serious legal challenges during its seven-decade history. The cases before international courts include some of the most severe allegations of violating international law of modern times, such as genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Palestinian groups are also facing accusations of war crimes and crimes against humanity related to hostage-taking and civilians killed on 7 October.

The ICJ has issued several emergency orders mandating Israel to refrain from actions that may amount to genocide. The ICC is looking at issuing arrest warrants against Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

Here Middle East Eye looks at how the cases have evolved and the response of Israel and Hamas.

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