South Africa is rather "sad" as the order of the International Court of Justice for Israel to take measures to prevent genocide in Gaza wasn't heeded, SA's President Cyril Ramaphosa said Friday.
"Whilst we are pleased with the ICJ outcome, it needs to be heeded so that we see an end to the slaughter that the people of Palestine are being subjected to," Ramaphosa said on X.
Nevertheless, the rainbow nation is "pleased" that "more and more countries around the world are seeing the correctness of the step" that South Africa took.
"Now more and more countries and more and more leaders around the world and ordinary people are saying [that] South Africa has taken a huge and important and courageous initiative that is going to advance the interests of humanity," the president added.
On Thursday, the ICJ judges unanimously issued an order for Israel to promptly and effectively take all necessary measures to guarantee the timely delivery of essential food provisions to the people of Gaza. They stated that the "the catastrophic living conditions" in the enclave "have deteriorated further", with famine and starvation spreading.
Israel also must ensure that its military does not commit any violations of the rights of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the court's order.
South Africa welcomed these additional provisional measures, saying that the impact of the new order is "significant" as "the changing circumstances in Gaza warrant the implementation of new strategies."
Furthermore, the SA presidency once again stated that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has significantly worsened.
"The fact that Palestinian deaths are not solely caused by bombardment and ground attacks, but also by disease and starvation, indicates a need to protect the group's right to exist," the statement read, urging Israel to halt military operations in Gaza and adhere to the ICJ order.
In late December, South Africa filed a case against Israel at the ICJ, requesting emergency measures to stop the "genocide" in Gaza. On January 26, the court ordered Israel to take "all measures within its power" to prevent genocide in the region, as well as to promptly provide essential services and humanitarian aid.
On March 6, South Africa went back to the ICJ to call for additional provisional measures against Israel that would address widespread starvation among Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.