UN chief: ICJ order on Gaza is binding, parties must comply

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday underscored that International Court of Justice rulings are "binding" after the top UN court ordered Israel to halt military operations in Rafah.

Guterres stressed that "decisions of the Court are binding and trusts that the parties will duly comply with the Order from the Court," his spokesperson said.

"The Secretary General recalls that ...decisions of the International Court of Justice are binding, and he trusts that the parties will duly comply with the order from the court," his spokesman Stephane Dujarric told the reporters.

His remarks came after the top UN court ordered Israel on Friday to "immediately" halt its military offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

Guterres will also properly transmit the notice of provisional measures ordered by the Court to the Security Council, Dujarric added.

"Whether or not the decisions of the court are implemented or not implemented, what is next for us is continuing every effort to deliver more humanitarian aid to the people in Gaza," he stressed.