July 22, 2024

The following statement was issued by Hamas on July 19, 2024, on Resistance News Network.

The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) welcomes the legal opinion issued by the International Court of Justice which affirmed the illegitimacy of the Zionist occupation and the need to end it. The opinion exposed the fascist settlement system and called for its termination, highlighting the extensive violations of international law committed by the occupation governments against our people and our Palestinian land.

This decision, and the Court’s demand for the United Nations and the Security Council to consider measures to end the Zionist occupation, places the international community before the imperative to act immediately to end the occupation and translate the successive decisions issued by the Court into serious steps on the ground.

This is especially crucial in light of the ongoing genocide war against our people in the Gaza Strip, the dangerous settlement expansion in the West Bank and the frenzied judaization steps in Al-Quds and Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Following the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice with a significant majority, we call on the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council to take the necessary measures to end the occupation, particularly in light of the entity’s rejection of the Court’s decisions and its accusations of antisemitism.

The International Court of Justice has issued several decisions ordering a halt to actions leading to genocide in the Gaza Strip and the necessity of facilitating humanitarian aid access to all areas of the Strip. Additionally, it has called for the cessation of the ongoing criminal military operation in the city of Rafah.

These decisions have been blatantly ignored by the occupation government, with full support and cover from the U.S. administration. As Zionist positions continue to attack the Court and its decision today, we call on the international community to embrace these decisions, bypass the U.S. will and work to compel the fascist occupation to implement them and comply immediately.

This statement was lightly edited.