The International Court of Justice has issued its ruling on humanitarian obligations in Gaza. According to the Court, Israel is violating international law.
Israel must guarantee access for humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip, must stop using hunger as a weapon of war, and has never provided concrete evidence of a link between Unrwa, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, and Hamas. These are the conclusions expressed by the International Court of Justice in a non-binding advisory opinion issued on the afternoon of 22 October. Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, described the ruling, which is non-binding, as "shameful".
On 22 October, the International Court of Justice convened to rule on Israel's obligations towards organisations providing humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip. The ruling certified that Israel is violating international law.
The President of the Court, Yuji Iwasawa, stated that Israel must guarantee the operations of Unrwa, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, and other humanitarian organisations in the Palestinian territory. Since the beginning of the genocide, now more than two years ago, Israeli propaganda has targeted Unrwa and other UN and humanitarian bodies, delegitimising and obstructing their work, going so far as to outlaw the Palestinian refugee agency on the grounds of alleged ties to Hamas. The International Court of Justice also ruled on this point, finding that Israel has not provided effective evidence of this connection. Finally, in his ruling, President Iwasawa reiterated Israel's obligation not to use hunger as a weapon of war in Gaza.
Today, the entire Palestinian population finds itself in a state of food insecurity as a result of the Israeli offensive, obstacles to the delivery of humanitarian aid, and even the control over the calories to be administered to residents.
The ruling of the International Court of Justice is not binding, but merely advisory. Yet it carries significant symbolic weight, as it constitutes a certification by the world's highest legal body that Israel is violating international law.
The Israeli response was swift. Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, described the opinion as "shameful", adding that Israel is not violating international law and that the UN is "fertile ground for terrorists".
