South Africa’s legal team is seeking provisional measures from the ICJ for Israel to immediately withdraw from Rafah and take every action possible to surge humanitarian aid into Gaza, on top of orders for Israel to comply with provisional orders the court issued in January and March.

The delegation presented evidence from its document filing for the request for the emergency hearing, including reports that hadn’t previously been brought before the court. These reports highlight the existence of “extermination zones” in Gaza where all Palestinians are considered a target and recent developments like Israel’s closing of the Rafah and Karem Abu Salem crossings in southern Gaza, which has caused severe shortages of basic needs like food.

It is unclear when the ICJ will make a decision on the request, though South Africa’s team has argued that this may be the ICJ’s last chance to save the lives of countless Palestinians in Gaza. Though the ICJ’s orders are legally binding, Israel has snubbed previous orders to allow more humanitarian access to Gaza and pull back on its genocidal actions, instead intensifying both its blockade and its attacks on Palestinians with no refuge left.