The United Nations’ top legal body, the International Court of Justice, on Wednesday gave an advisory opinion saying that Israel is under the obligation to ensure the basic needs of the civilian population in Gaza are met. The panel of 11 judges added Israel is forced to support relief efforts provided by the United Nations in the Gaza Strip and its entities, including UNRWA, the United NationsRelief and WorksAgency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
“As an occupying power, Israel is obliged to ensure the basic needs of the local population, including the supplies essential for their survival,” presiding judge Yuji Iwasawa said.
Advisory opinions of the ICJ, also known as the World Court, carry legal and political weight, but they are not binding and the court has no enforcement power.
The opinion, which was requested by the U.N. General Assembly in December, clarified the protections states must provide for U.N. staff and is expected to have effects beyond the Gaza conflict.
In a message on social media platform X, Israel’s foreign ministry said it categorically rejected the court’s findings and added “Israel fully upholds its obligations under international law.”
Israel banned UNRWA from operating in Gaza last year, claiming that some of its employees were members of militant group Hamas, or other affiliated associations.
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The ministry on Wednesday repeated claims that UNRWA employs Hamas operatives and stressed it would not cooperate “with an organization that is infested with terror activities.”
The ICJ judges on Wednesday found that Israel has not substantiated its claims that a significant number of UNRWA employees are Hamas members.
In April this year lawyers for the United Nations and Palestinian representatives at the ICJ accused Israel of breaking international law by refusing to let aid into Gaza between March and May.
Since then some humanitarian aid has been allowed in but U.N. officials say the relief is nowhere near what is needed to ease a humanitarian disaster.
The 20-point ceasefire plan mediated by the U.S. earlier this month allows for 600 trucks of aid a day into Gaza. Israel has previously accused Hamas of stealing food delivered into the enclave, which it denies, and has said the aid restriction was to put pressure on the militant group.
The U.N. said in August last year that nine UNRWA staff may have been involved in Hamas’s October 7, 2023 assault on Israel and had been fired. Another Hamas commander, confirmed by UNRWA as one of its employees, was killed in Gaza in October 2024, according to Israel.
In an earlier 2024 advisory opinion, the ICJ found that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories is illegal and should end immediately. The court also said that Israel had human rights obligations to the Palestinians because of its position as an occupying power.