UN's top court orders Israel to allow unhindered aid into Gaza, as famine looms. Here's what you need to know

Displaced Palestinians collect food donated by a charity before an iftar meal in Rafah, Gaza, on March 11.
Displaced Palestinians collect food donated by a charity before an iftar meal in Rafah, Gaza, on March 11. Mohammed Abed/AFP via Getty Images

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Israel on Thursday to enable the unhindered flow of aid into Gaza "without delay" to avert a famine, as Israel's siege condemns Gazans to severe hunger.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military's raid on Al-Shifa Hospital, in northern Gaza, entered its twelfth day. More traumatic allegations of abuse emerged from Palestinians who fled the facility, and those still trapped there — including two malnourished teenage siblings who've had limbs amputated.

Here are the latest developments:

  • Hostage talks: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has authorized an Israeli negotiating delegation to travel to Qatar and Egypt in the coming days for talks on the release of hostages still held in Gaza, according to the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.
  • Israeli raid on Al-Shifa: Gaza's Civil Defense spokesperson, Mahmoud Bassal called on international agencies to rescue Palestinians trapped in and around Al-Shifa Hospital, in northern Gaza. Emergency workers received calls from those trapped under the rubble, but they cannot reach the area, he added. Israeli forces said they were conducting “precise operational activity” in the area of the hospital, on Friday.
  • Strikes on Rafah: An Israeli airstrike killed at least 14 Palestinians — including four women and seven children — sheltering inside a house in Rafah in southern Gaza, a Rafah hospital official told CNN. Asked for a response by CNN, the IDF said it did not have the required information to comment on the attack, despite being provided by CNN with the date, time and a rough location of the strike. 
  • ICJ orders Israel to allow unimpeded aid into Gaza: The ICJ voted that Israel should allow "urgently needed basic services" into Gaza, including access to food, water, electricity, fuel, shelter, clothing, hygiene and sanitation requirements, and medical supplies. It reaffirmed its original ruling earlier this year that Israel should take measures to prevent genocide in the Palestinian enclave.
  • Starving to death: The father of Mohammad Al-Najjar, a young Palestinian child who died from malnutrition on Thursday, said his son "was dying in front of our eyes" after the family could not find food or drink for him. At least 30 Palestinians have died of malnutrition in Gaza, including 24 children, according to the Ministry of Health there.
  • Gaza death toll: The Gaza Ministry of Health said Friday that throughout the enclave, 71 people have been killed over the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll in the strip to 32,623. A number of victims remain under rubble, according to the health ministry. The ministry added that “the magnitude of casualties amongst Palestinian civilians” from factors including shortage of medication, malnutrition, and the outbreak of diseases was “challenging to ascertain.”
  • Airstrikes on Syria’s Aleppo: A series of Israeli airstrikes targeting areas close to the Syrian city of Aleppo on Friday have led to casualties among both civilians and military personnel, according to the Syrian state news agency SANA. Thirty-eight people were killed, according to Reuters, including five members of the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah

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