U.N. and Palestinian representatives on Monday accused Israel of violating international law by blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza, as hearings opened at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) into Israel’s obligations to facilitate the delivery of supplies.
Since 2 March, Israel has enforced a complete blockade on the Gaza Strip’s 2.3 million residents, with food supplies stockpiled during a temporary ceasefire earlier this year now almost entirely depleted.
Speaking at the U.N.’s top court, U.N. legal counsel Elinor Hammarskjöld said Israel had a clear duty as an occupying power to allow and facilitate humanitarian aid.
"In the specific context of the current situation in the occupied Palestinian Territories, these obligations entail allowing all relevant U.N. entities to carry out activities for the benefit of the local population," Hammarskjöld said.
Palestinian representative Ammar Hijazi accused Israel of using aid as “a weapon of war”, warning that Palestinians in Gaza were facing starvation.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, speaking in Jerusalem, dismissed the hearings as a “circus”, accusing the court of being politicised and criticising the U.N. for allegedly failing to address the infiltration of its Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA by militant groups.
"They are abusing the court once again to try and force Israel to cooperate with an organisation that is infested with Hamas terrorists," Saar said.
"The goal is to deprive Israel of its most basic right to defend itself."
The United Nations confirmed in August that nine UNRWA staff may have been involved in Hamas' 7 October 2023 assault on Israel and said they had been dismissed.
Israel later said a Hamas commander, identified as a UNRWA employee, was killed during the conflict.
The ICJ, also known as the World Court, was tasked in December to provide an advisory opinion on Israel’s responsibility to allow humanitarian access to Gaza, including deliveries facilitated by international organisations and U.N. agencies.
Israel has repeatedly insisted that aid will not be permitted until all remaining hostages are released by Hamas, and has accused the group of hijacking supplies — an allegation Hamas denies.
"This case is about Israel destroying the fundamentals of life in Palestine, while it blocks the U.N. and other providers of humanitarian aid from providing life-saving aid to the population," Hijazi told the court.
International pressure has mounted on Israel in recent weeks.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he had pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to allow food and medicine into Gaza. Germany, France and Britain have also called for unrestricted humanitarian access.
While ICJ advisory opinions are not legally binding, they carry significant political and legal weight. The court is expected to take several months before issuing its findings.
At least 52,243 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s war on Gaza since October 2023, according to the Health Ministry.
Since Israel resumed its assault on March 18, following the collapse of a ceasefire, 2,151 people have been killed and 5,598 wounded.
The International Criminal Court last November issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice.
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