The International Court of Justice has issued a new order for Israel to prevent the worsening famine in Gaza, following a previous warning of genocide risk. The situation has deteriorated since the initial January 26 order, with over 6,600 deaths and nearly 11,000 injuries. The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the crisis as a man-made catastrophe. The court reiterated its order for Israel to ensure urgent humanitarian aid to Gaza, emphasizing the necessity of land access over maritime and aerial routes.

The International Court of Justice has issued a new order demanding Israel to prevent famine in Gaza, following a deterioration of living conditions since their January 26 warning of a genocide risk. Over 6,600 deaths and nearly 11,000 injuries have occurred since the Israeli operation began. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the situation as an appalling manmade disaster. The court's order requires Israel to cooperate with the UN to provide essential services and humanitarian aid to Gaza, emphasizing the importance of land routes for effective delivery. The order follows South Africa's request and does not mandate a ceasefire but notes the need for suspending military operations to allow aid entry.

The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for two senior Russian military officers, air force Lieutenant General Sergueï Kobylach and Vice Admiral Viktor Sokolov, for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Ukraine from October 10, 2022, to March 9, 2023. The warrants are confidential to protect witnesses and secure the investigation. The officers are accused of ordering attacks on civilian infrastructure and disproportionate strikes on potential military targets, causing excessive civilian casualties. Human Rights Watch praised the Court's announcement, highlighting the impact of the strikes on Ukrainian civilians. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized that Russian commanders ordering strikes against civilians and essential Ukrainian infrastructure must know that justice will be served.

From February 19 to 26, representatives from fifty states and three international organizations presented their views to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding the legality of Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories since 1967. The ICJ has begun deliberations and will issue a non-binding advisory opinion in five to six months, as requested by the UN General Assembly in December 2022. The outcome could have significant diplomatic weight. Israel chose not to attend the hearings, and its allies, including the UK, Hungary, and Fiji, spoke on its behalf. The UK suggested the conflict was not a matter for the international community, while others argued it pertains to the world order established post-World War II. The ICJ's decision could potentially affirm the occupation's illegality, as previously denounced by UN reports and resolutions, and address the consequences of such a finding.

ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan's handling of cases involving Ukraine, Darfur, and Palestine is under scrutiny as he defends his budget at the UN. South Africa, the Comoros, Djibouti, Bolivia, and Bangladesh have pushed for action on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, threatening a potential withdrawal from the ICC treaty. The Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation are monitoring the investigation, highlighting Western hesitancy to support the probe compared to the Ukraine case. Israel has opposed ICC examination of the conflict, while Palestine, an ICC member since 2015, seeks justice for crimes since June 2014. A complaint from Israeli families against Palestinian attacks has also been lodged.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has affirmed the right of return for Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh in a ruling on November 17. The court ordered Baku to ensure that anyone who left Nagorno-Karabakh after September 19, 2023, and wishes to return can do so safely and quickly. Over 100,000 people fled the enclave due to the Azerbaijani military operation launched on that date. The ICJ also warned Azerbaijan against using force or intimidation that could cause residents to flee. The case, introduced by Armenia against Azerbaijan in September 2021 for racial discrimination, has not yet been fully argued, but interim measures have been ordered by the court.

Three weeks after Hamas's terrorist attacks in Israel on October 7 and the beginning of Israeli retaliation in Gaza, the International Criminal Court's prosecutor, Karim Khan, reminded Israel of its obligation to comply with the laws of armed conflict. Khan, investigating since October 7, stated that preventing humanitarian aid could constitute a crime and that schools, hospitals, and mosques are protected sites. He called for the release of hostages, a serious violation of the Geneva Conventions. On October 29, Khan made a brief statement at the Rafah border crossing, following UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres's plea for humanitarian access to Gaza on October 20. The ICC had opened an investigation into the 2014 Gaza war and the colonization of occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, but progress has been slow. Israel disputes the ICC's jurisdiction. Palestinian human rights advocate Raji Sourani criticized the prosecutor's slow progress, and Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki assured Khan of cooperation without confirming if it extended to the October 7 Hamas massacre. Legal experts, diplomats, NGOs, and UN experts have criticized Khan's silence since October 7.

Small island states, led by Antigua and Barbuda and Tuvalu, have brought a case to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, seeking a legal opinion on whether greenhouse gas emissions, which cause ocean warming, acidification, and sea-level rise, constitute pollution. They are advocating for legally binding obligations for states to reduce carbon emissions, beyond the non-binding commitments of the Paris Agreement. Prime Minister Gaston Browne of Antigua and Barbuda expressed frustration with endless negotiations and empty promises, highlighting the existential threat of climate change to small island nations.

Félicien Kabuga, the Rwandan businessman accused of financing the 1994 Tutsi genocide, is to benefit from an 'indefinite suspension' of his trial as ordered by a UN mechanism's appeals chamber. Despite being declared 'unfit' to stand trial due to severe dementia, the case remains open to contribute to peace in Rwanda. The conditions and timing of Kabuga's release from the Scheveningen prison near The Hague, where he has been detained for over three years, are yet to be determined. Discussions are ongoing to decide whether he will be handed over to French, Belgian, or British authorities, or returned to Asnières-sur-Seine, where he was arrested in May 2020 after twenty-six years on the run.

An office dedicated to investigating Russia's aggression against Ukraine opened in The Hague, Netherlands, on July 3, 2023. The International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression (CIPA) operates under Eurojust with participation from Ukraine, five EU countries, and the United States through a specific agreement. The office aims to facilitate evidence sharing among prosecutors without the need for traditional letters rogatory. Ukraine's Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin hailed the opening as a 'historic moment' and reiterated the call for a special international tribunal to address Russian aggression.

The Council of Europe has adopted the creation of a 'war damage registry' for Ukraine at a summit in Iceland, marking a step towards an international reparations mechanism for victims of Russian aggression. The registry, to be established in The Hague and with an annex in Kyiv, will record Ukrainian compensation claims for damages since the Russian invasion began on February 24, 2022. Ukraine's Justice Minister Denis Malyuska emphasized that Russia should pay for the damages, and Prime Minister Denys Chmyhal suggested using frozen Russian assets for compensation, a proposal supported by Oleksandra Drik from the Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during a visit to The Hague, called for the creation of a new international tribunal to judge Russian aggression, rejecting any 'hybrid peace' or 'hybrid justice.' He emphasized the need for a 'true, full-fledged tribunal,' akin to Nuremberg, to ensure non-repetition of the crime of aggression. Zelensky's proposal faced initial opposition from Western countries and challenges due to Ukraine not ratifying the ICC treaty. However, a semi-victory was achieved with the support of the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for the establishment of the International Center for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression in The Hague, which could be operational by summer.

On March 30, 2023, in The Hague, the health of Rwandan businessman Félicien Kabuga, accused of contributing to the 1994 Tutsi genocide, was debated in the United Nations Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals. Three experts testified that Kabuga suffers from dementia and is unfit to stand trial. Defense lawyers requested the judges to close the case, opposing any alternative procedures that would record evidence without the accused's presence. The prosecutor challenged the experts' conclusions, noting Kabuga's pneumonia and language barriers during assessments but acknowledged his significant comprehension abilities. The judges have begun deliberations, with no clear date for a future decision.

Al Jazeera's lawyers have submitted evidence to the International Criminal Court (ICC) suggesting that the killing of American-Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh by an Israeli soldier was deliberate, constituting a war crime and a crime against humanity. Israel's Prime Minister Yaïr Lapid immediately dismissed the allegations. The Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki criticized the international community for the lack of attention and resources given to the situation in Palestine compared to other conflicts, such as in Ukraine.

ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan seeks to hold 'in absentia' hearings against Joseph Kony, the long-sought fugitive and leader of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), who has been indicted for crimes against humanity and war crimes in northern Uganda during 2003 and 2004. Despite a 17-year manhunt involving multiple countries, including the USA, Kony remains at large. The hearings aim to provide a semblance of justice by recording evidence collected since the 2005 arrest warrant and could potentially reignite the search for Kony, who has been elusive in recent years, reportedly moving between Sudan and the Central African Republic.

On the second day of his trial, Félicien Kabuga once again refused to appear before the judges of the UN Mechanism responsible for the remaining cases of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. Charged with genocide and crimes against humanity committed in Rwanda in 1994, Kabuga has lost confidence in his lawyer, whose dismissal has been refused by the judges for several months. Despite Kabuga's absence, his lawyer, Emmanuel Altit, defended him, arguing that Kabuga was not the editor-in-chief of Radio-Télévision des Mille Collines but a daring entrepreneur involved in the creation of the country's first commercial radio. Altit contended that Kabuga's efforts to gather funds for weapons were in the context of the war between the Rwandan Patriotic Front and the then government. The trial has been adjourned until October 5, when the prosecutor's first protected witness will testify under a pseudonym.