The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has declared that Israel is legally obliged to enable the United Nations and its agencies to deliver humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza, ruling that the country has not proven its allegations that the UN relief agency Unrwa is compromised by militant ties.
The advisory opinion, issued Wednesday in The Hague, found that Israel, as an occupying power, must “ensure that the population of the Occupied Palestinian Territory has the essential supplies of daily life,” including food, water, fuel, and medical care.
Reading the court’s findings, ICJ President Judge Yuji Iwasawa said Israel must “agree to and facilitate by all means at its disposal” relief efforts for Palestinians, and must respect international prohibitions against starvation and forced displacement.
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The panel of eleven judges unanimously ruled that Israel had failed to substantiate claims that the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (Unrwa) was infiltrated by Hamas or other armed groups. “The information received was not sufficient to establish Unrwa’s lack of neutrality,” Iwasawa said.
Although advisory opinions from the ICJ are non-binding, they carry significant diplomatic weight and set legal standards for UN member states.
Israel’s foreign ministry rejected the opinion, calling it “yet another political attempt to impose measures against Israel under the guise of international law.” The ministry added that Israel “will not co-operate with an organisation that is infested with terror activities,” insisting it already complies with international humanitarian law.
Unrwa, which employs roughly 12,000 Palestinian staff in Gaza, has denied Israel’s allegations, saying its personnel are vetted through UN procedures. The agency says Israel’s January ban on its operations has prevented the entry of aid convoys and blocked visas for its international staff.
The court’s opinion comes as Gaza faces severe shortages of food, water, and fuel after two years of conflict between Israel and Hamas. UN-backed experts recently warned that more than 640,000 Palestinians are experiencing catastrophic hunger, describing the situation as an “entirely man-made famine.”
Israel denies those assessments, arguing that it allows sufficient aid into Gaza. However, UN Secretary General António Guterres urged Israel to comply with the court’s decision, calling it “a very important ruling” at a time when the UN is “doing everything possible to scale up humanitarian deliveries to Gaza.”
Since the start of the war, Unrwa reports that at least 309 of its staff and 72 support workers have been killed.
The ICJ’s opinion stems from a UN General Assembly request in December 2024, asking the court to clarify Israel’s obligations toward UN agencies operating in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.