UN court orders Israel to ensure acts of genocide are not committed in Gaza

International court of justice stops short of granting South Africa’s request to order immediate ceasefire

• Middle East crisis – live updates

The ​UN’s international court of justice has ordered Israel to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, in a historic decision.

In an interim judgment delivered on Friday, the president of the court, Joan Donoghue, said Israel must “take all measures within its its power” to prevent acts that fell within the scope of the genocide convention and must ensure “with immediate effect” that its forces do not commit any of the acts covered by the convention.