The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the UN’s highest judicial body, ruled on Wednesday that Israel is obliged to ensure the basic needs of Gaza’s civilian population are met and to facilitate humanitarian relief operations, particularly those carried out by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and other UN bodies.
The judgment, delivered in The Hague by an 11-judge panel led by President Yuji Iwasawa, addressed Israel’s legal responsibilities toward humanitarian agencies operating in the besieged enclave. The court found that Israel had failed to substantiate its claims that a significant number of UNRWA employees were affiliated with Hamas, saying such allegations were “not supported by sufficient proof.”
The ICJ stressed that Israel cannot use starvation as a weapon of war and, as an occupying power, must ensure the delivery of aid if local supplies are insufficient. It reaffirmed that Israel’s domestic laws do not apply to the occupied Palestinian territories and underscored the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination.
Israel’s envoy to the UN condemned the ruling as “disgraceful,” saying the court “should be examining Hamas’s actions in Gaza instead of holding Israel responsible.”
The ruling follows a request by the UN General Assembly for an advisory opinion on Israel’s obligations as an occupying power, particularly regarding unimpeded humanitarian access. While advisory opinions are not legally binding, they carry significant legal and moral authority within the UN system.
In Gaza, the Government Media Office said burial ceremonies had begun for 54 Palestinians whose bodies were returned by Israel via the International Committee of the Red Cross after being detained during the conflict. Spokesperson Ismail al-Thawabta said the bodies bore “signs of brutal torture and extrajudicial executions,” with forensic examinations indicating “strangulation and close-range gunfire.”
As humanitarian conditions worsen, UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq renewed calls for greater access to shelter materials ahead of winter. He said aid agencies had distributed 300 tents and 14,700 blankets to displaced families in Khan Younis and delivered over 10,600 tonnes of essential supplies since the start of the ceasefire.
Meanwhile, in Italy, prosecutors in Rome have opened an investigation into complaints from Italian activists detained after Israel’s navy intercepted the Freedom Flotilla in international waters on October 1.
In a related development, Britain announced the deployment of a small team of military officers to Israel to help monitor the fragile ceasefire at the request of the United States. UK Defence Secretary John Healey said the officers would serve in a supporting role at the US-led Civil-Military Coordination Center, which also includes representatives from Qatar, Egypt, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.
