The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Wednesday ordered Israel to allow the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza, ruling that the country must facilitate relief operations in the besieged territory.
The Hague-based court was asked by the UN General Assembly last year to clarify Israel’s legal obligations after it passed laws effectively barring UNRWA — the main provider of humanitarian assistance in Gaza — from operating there.
ICJ President Yuji Iwasawa said Israel “is under the obligation to agree to and facilitate relief schemes provided by the United Nations and its entities, including UNRWA.”
Israel has blocked UNRWA from bringing in supplies since March, though the agency continues to run health centers, mobile medical teams, sanitation services and schools inside Gaza. The agency says some 6,000 trucks loaded with food and medical supplies are waiting to enter the enclave.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini welcomed the “unambiguous ruling” on X, saying the agency has “the resources and expertise to immediately scale up the humanitarian response in Gaza” with large quantities of aid on standby in Egypt and Jordan.
The court’s advisory opinion comes as a fragile US-brokered ceasefire in Gaza, in effect since October 10, continues to hold.
Israel, which did not attend the ICJ hearings in April, dismissed the opinion as biased but said in a written submission that it “fully upholds its obligations under international law.” The Israeli Foreign Ministry also said it “will not cooperate with an organization that is infested with terror activities,” referring to UNRWA.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called the ICJ ruling “an important decision” and urged Israel to comply, saying it would be “decisive” for efforts to boost humanitarian aid in Gaza.
The ICJ found Israel had not substantiated its allegations that UNRWA was infiltrated by Hamas, adding that Gaza’s population had been “inadequately supplied” and that Israel must ensure “the basic needs of the local population” are met.
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Palestinian Ambassador to the Netherlands Ammar Hijazi hailed the decision as “clear, unequivocal and conclusive,” saying it leaves Israel with “no pretext, no context, no excuse” to block UNRWA.
The ruling adds to a series of ICJ advisory opinions criticizing Israeli policies. In 2023, the court said Israel’s presence in occupied Palestinian territories was unlawful and called for an end to settlement construction.
While ICJ advisory opinions are legally significant, they are nonbinding and carry no direct enforcement mechanism.
The decision is separate from South Africa’s ongoing genocide case against Israel before the ICJ. The court’s opinion also noted that Israel “is not to use starvation of the civilian population as a method of warfare.”
Legal experts said the opinion strengthens the case at the International Criminal Court (ICC), which last year issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of using starvation as a weapon of war — charges Israel denies.
The Gaza war began after Hamas’ surprise attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and saw 250 taken hostage. Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed more than 68,000 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Source: AP