Israel denies it’s breaking international law by starving Gaza
Israel has denied it has violated international law, saying the court’s proceedings are biased, and did not attend hearings in April.
However, the country provided a 38-page written submission for the court to consider.
The advisory opinion from the World Court comes as a fragile US-brokered Gaza ceasefire agreement, which took effect on October 10, continues to hold despite repeated violations, including deadly attacks on Palestinians and Israel severely restricting desperately needed aid.
Israel’s UN ambassador says ICJ ruling ‘shameful’
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, has slammed the ICJ’s advisory opinion as “shameful”, claiming UN institutions that the court says Israel must support with aid efforts are “breeding grounds for terrorists”.
“They are blaming Israel for not cooperating with UN organs … They should be blaming themselves,” said Danon.
UNRWA chief welcomes ‘unambiguous’ World Court ruling
Philippe Lazzarini has welcomed the ICJ’s ruling, noting it said Israel must facilitate UN aid efforts in Gaza – including those of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which he leads.
Lazzarini also stressed that the International Court of Justice said Israel has not proven its claims that many of the UN agency’s staff are members of Hamas.
The ICJ also stated “there must be accountability for the killing of UNRWA staff members, for the severe mistreatment of humanitarian staff in detention & for the destruction, damage + misuse of UNRWA facilities”, he said.
“With huge amounts of food & other life saving supplies on standby in Egypt & Jordan, UNRWA has the resources & expertise to immediately scale up the humanitarian response in Gaza & help alleviate the suffering of the civilian population.”
I welcome the unambiguous ruling by the International Court of Justice today stating that:
- Israel is under an obligation to agree to & facilitate relief schemes provided by the United Nations & its entities, in particular @UNRWA.
- Israel’s claim that UNRWA is…
— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) October 22, 2025
