The International Court of Justice will issue its ruling on Nicaragua's request to halt German arms sales to Israel

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The U.N. Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a request from Nicaragua that it order Germany to halt military and other aid to Israel and renew funding for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Refugees in Gaza.

The International Court of Justice said that the legal conditions for issuing such an order had not been met.

Germany said during hearings in the case that it had barely exported any weapons to Israel since the offensive on Gaza began following the deadly incursion into southern Israel by Hamas militants on October 7.

This is a breaking news update. The previous AP story follows below.

THE HAGUE, Netherlands – The president of the United Nations Supreme Court opened a hearing Tuesday to issue the justices' decision on Nicaragua's request to halt German military and other aid to Israel amid the devastating conflict in Gaza.

Nicaragua, a long-time ally of the Palestinians, claims Germany is aiding the genocide by sending weapons and other support to Israel. The ruling issued by the International Court of Justice on Tuesday concerns only preliminary orders in the case that is likely to take years to resolve. Germany rejects these accusations.

Israel, which is not a party to the case between Nicaragua and Germany, strongly denies that its attack on Gaza amounts to genocide, and insists it is acting in self-defense.

The Nicaragua case is the latest legal attempt by a country with historical relations with the Palestinian people to stop the Israeli attack.

Late last year, South Africa accused Israel of genocide in court. These cases come at a time when Israel's allies are facing increasing calls to stop supplying it with weapons, and at a time when some countries, including Germany, are demanding that it stop supplying it with weapons. It's becoming more important From the war.

on monday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken He said Israel still must do more to increase the flow of humanitarian aid to the besieged Gaza Strip.

In hearings earlier this month, Nicaragua's ambassador to the Netherlands, Carlos José Arguello Gomez, told the 16-judge panel that “Germany is failing to respect its obligation to prevent genocide or to ensure respect for international humanitarian law.”

Nicaragua also wants Germany to restore direct funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Refugees in Gaza.

The head of the German legal team, Tanja von Oslar-Gleichen, said that Nicaragua's claims ” It has no basis in fact or law“.

Israel He strongly denies Its attack on Gaza amounts to acts of genocide, saying it is acting in self-defense after Hamas-led militants. It stormed southern Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people. Israeli legal advisor Tal Becker told judges in court earlier this year in the case brought by South Africa that Israel was fighting “a war it did not start and did not want.”

Since Israel launched its attack, more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the Strip's Ministry of Health. Its toll No difference Among civilians and fighters, but she said that women and children constitute the majority of those killed.

Israel blames the high civilian death toll on Hamas because the militants are fighting in dense residential areas. The army says it killed more than 12,000 militants without providing evidence.

It was Germany A Strong supporter of Israel For decades. However, Berlin gradually changed its tone as the number of civilian casualties in Gaza rose, becoming increasingly critical of the humanitarian situation in Gaza and speaking out against the ground offensive in Rafah.

In the case brought by South Africa, the International Court of Justice decided Israel ordered In January to do everything in its power to prevent death, destruction and genocide in Gaza. In March, the court issued new interim measures Israel's command To take action to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, experts say A Famine is imminent.

At the same time, a separate investigation is being conducted by another international court – the International Criminal Court – This also worries Israeli officials.

International Criminal Court An investigation has been launched in 2021 into possible war crimes committed by Israel and Palestinian militants since the 2014 war between Israel and Hamas. The investigation is also looking into Israel's construction of settlements in the occupied territories that the Palestinians want for their future state. Israeli officials in recent days have expressed concern about possible arrest warrants in this case.

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