THE HAGUE: The top United Nations court will rule Wednesday on Israel’s obligations towards agencies providing humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza.
Judges at the International Court of Justice in The Hague have been asked for an advisory opinion laying out Israel’s duty to facilitate aid in Gaza.
The UN requested the ICJ to clarify Israel’s obligations as an occupying power towards UN and other bodies.
An ICJ opinion is not legally binding but carries great legal weight and moral authority.
ICJ judges heard a week of evidence in April from dozens of nations and organisations.
Much of the evidence revolved around the status of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
Israel did not take part in the hearings but Foreign Minister Gideon Saar described them as systematic persecution of Israel.
Saar stated that the UN and UNRWA should be on trial instead of Israel.
Israel banned UNRWA from operating on Israeli soil after accusing some staff of participating in the October 7 Hamas attack.
Investigations found some neutrality-related issues at UNRWA but said Israel provided no supporting evidence for terrorism allegations.
A US official raised serious concerns about UNRWA’s impartiality at the ICJ hearings.
The US official stated Israel had no obligation to permit UNRWA specifically to provide humanitarian assistance.
Palestinian official Ammar Hijazi told judges that Israel was blocking aid as a weapon of war.
UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini has described his organisation as a lifeline for nearly six million Palestinian refugees.
The agency still has about 12,000 staff in Gaza and aims to play a major part in reconstruction after the ceasefire.
More than 370 UNRWA workers have been killed since the start of the war.
On the eve of the ICJ ruling, UN officials reported 530 World Food Programme trucks had crossed into Gaza since the ceasefire.
Those trucks delivered more than 6,700 tonnes of food, enough for close to half a million people for two weeks.
Current daily deliveries of around 750 tonnes remain well below the World Food Programme’s target of 2,000 tonnes.
Israel faces several cases under international law over its campaign in Gaza.
The ICJ issued another advisory opinion in July 2024 stating Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories was unlawful.
ICJ judges are also weighing accusations that Israel has broken the UN Genocide Convention.
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes. – AFP
