Tel Aviv: The top UN court on Friday demanded that Israel must try to contain death and damage in its military offensive in Gaza.

We will continue to do what is necessary to defend our country

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday hit out at the World Court’s order criticising Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, calling it “outrageous”. Responding to a genocide case brought by South Africa before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Netanyahu vowed to continue to do “what is necessary to defend the country”.

“We will continue to do what is necessary to defend our country and defend our people…Like every country, Israel has a basic right to defend itself … The World Court in the Hague justly rejected the outrageous demand to deprive us of this right,” Netanyahu said.

“…The mere claim that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians is not only false, it’s outrageous, and the willingness of the court to even discuss this is a disgrace that will not be erased for generations,” he added.

The top UN court on Friday demanded that Israel must try to contain death and damage in its military offensive in the enclave – which was home to over 2.3 million people. However, it fell short of ordering a ceasefire in war-ravaged Gaza in a genocide case, which was the primary request of the litigant, South Africa.