UK says World Court order to Israel over Rafah will strengthen Hamas

The British government has criticised the International Court of Justice for ordering Israel to immediately halt its military assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, saying the ruling would strengthen Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.

The ICJ, which is the highest U.N. body for hearing disputes between states, made the emergency ruling on Friday in South Africa's case accusing Israel of genocide.

"The reason there isn’t a pause in the fighting is because Hamas turned down a very generous hostage deal from Israel.  The intervention of these courts - including the ICJ today - will strengthen the view of Hamas that they can hold on to hostages and stay in Gaza," a UK foreign ministry spokesperson said late on Friday.

"And if that happens there won’t be either peace, or a two-state solution." 

The ICJ, or World Court, has no means to enforce its orders, but the ruling highlighted Israel's global isolation over its military campaign in Gaza, launched after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on southern Israel.