Erdoğan welcomes UN top court interim ruling on Israel genocide case

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has welcomed the decision by the ICJ, vowing Türkiye will continue to follow the trial so that Israel's war crimes against civilians will not go unpunished.

In a message on his social media, Erdoğan expressed his hope that this decision - which is binding to all countries that are party to the convention for the prevention of genocide - will bring about an end to the Israeli offensive.

He also reiterated that Türkiye will continue to stand with Palestine and to work for a lasting peace.

The court on Friday urged Israel to refrain from any possible genocidal acts as it presses its military operation in the Gaza Strip, but stopped short of ordering a ceasefire.

The International Court of Justice was not deciding whether Israel was actually committing genocide with its military campaign in Gaza — that process will likely take several years.

But it ruled that the "catastrophic humanitarian situation" in Gaza was "at serious risk of deteriorating further" before a final decision, so it issued a series of emergency measures.

Israel must "take all measures in its power" to prevent genocidal acts and also stop officials making declarations inciting genocide, the court said.

Concretely, the court urged Israel to take "immediate and effective measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance".

The case was brought by South Africa, which has accused Israel of breaching the UN Genocide Convention.