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SvennoJ on 28 April 2025
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Irish lawyer representing Palestine presents her oral argument

Here are some of Blinne Ni Ghralaigh’s key points:

  • Israel’s violations of obligations under the 1946 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem include forcible entry into UN schools, its seizure and often violent shuttering of UN premises and its failure to protect them from attack by Israeli civilians.
  • They also include Israel’s obstruction or prohibition of the movement of Palestinian UN staff and the access by international UN staff to the occupied Palestinian territory in Gaza, where Israel’s violations include its obstruction of UN aid supplies, goods and equipment into and throughout the territory and its attacks on UN food stores, distribution facilities and humanitarian convoys.
  • Violations also include Israel’s use of UN premises as military bases and its violent, lethal attacks on UN schools, shelters and healthcare facilities, which have been a feature of every large-scale military assault on Gaza since at least 2009.


Palestinian representatives attend a hearing at the ICJ

  • Israel’s actions are not only inhumane but genocidal, as concluded by the UN Commission of Inquiry and broadly agreed upon by the human rights community.
  • Although separate proceedings are addressing Israel’s responsibility for genocide, these proceedings concern Israel’s obligations to provide aid in a situation in which Palestinians face a real and imminent risk of genocide.
  • Despite Israel’s objections, the court has full authority to advise on Israel’s obligations under international law, particularly regarding the protection of Palestinians.
  • Given the serious risk of a violation of fundamental international norms, such as the prohibition of genocide, the court must declare that there is an obligation, especially on UN member states, to end such a situation.
  • Israel continues to block UN-mandated investigatory bodies from Gaza while destroying and burying evidence of its crimes.


UNRWA is the ‘backbone’ of relief efforts in Gaza

Ardi Imseis, a professor of international law at Queen’s University who represents Palestine at the ICJ hearing, has just presented his oral argument, focusing on UNRWA.

Here is a summary of his opening remarks:

  • The UN’s responsibility toward Palestine stems from its failed 1947 partition plan, implemented without Palestinian consent, and the 1948 Nakba, which forcibly exiled between 750,000 and 900,000 Palestinians.
  • In 1949, the UN General Assembly established UNRWA to provide relief and works programmes to Palestinian refugees, emphasising that it must operate without prejudice to their rights to return, restitution, and compensation, as outlined in Resolution 194.
  • Israel’s occupation of the rest of Palestine in 1967 caused the displacement of another 250,000–300,000 Palestinians, further increasing reliance on UNRWA’s essential services across Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and the occupied Palestinian territory.
  • Starvation and distress have worsened, especially since October 2023, making UNRWA’s role as vital today as in 1949, with the General Assembly repeatedly affirming its mandate.
  • UNRWA’s unparalleled infrastructure, community trust, and expertise make it irreplaceable; the UN Secretary-General and other humanitarian agencies recognise the agency as the “backbone” of relief efforts in Gaza.