ICJ says Israel obliged to allow crucial UN aid into Gaza

The United Nations’ top court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), released an advisory opinion on Israel’s legal obligations after it effectively banned the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the main provider of aid to Gaza, from operating in the territory.

The court’s president, Yuji Iwasawa, said that Israel “is under the obligation to agree to and facilitate relief schemes provided by the United Nations and its entities, including UNRWA” to the Gaza Strip. In this regard, the Palestinian delegate to the ICJ, Ammar Hijazi, urged the international community to “uphold these values and oblige Israel, bring Israel into compliance with these laws.” The ruling comes as the World Health Organization (WHO) the aid being delivered to the devastated Strip represents merely a “fraction of what’s needed.”

For its part, Israel rejected and denied accusations of violating International Law, claiming the court’s ruling of being biased and “another political attempt to impose political measures against Israel under the guise of ‘International Law’,” according to its Foreign Ministry’s statement on the X platform. It is worth noting that although advisory opinions offered by the ICJ carry legal and political weight, they are nonetheless nonbinding as the court lacks effective enforcement power and tools.