UN Court Condemns Israel’s Gaza Aid Restrictions Amid War Crimes Probe

Gaza is experiencing a man-made famine, with over half a million residents facing catastrophic hunger. The UN reports thousands of hunger-related deaths this month. Urgent action is needed to save lives.

UN Court Condemns Israel’s Gaza Aid Restrictions Amid War Crimes Probe

By Paul V. Young – TheNationWeek.Com | October 23, 2025

THE HAGUE – The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has issued a rebuke of Israel’s handling of humanitarian aid to Gaza, ruling that Israel, as the occupying power, is obligated to collaborate with United Nations agencies to ensure the delivery of essential assistance to displaced Palestinians.

The decision comes as the UN’s top court also grapples with allegations of genocide against Israel and as the International Criminal Court (ICC) seeks arrest warrants for top Israeli officials.

The ICJ’s advisory opinion, delivered Wednesday, directly addresses Israel’s earlier blockade of Gaza and its restrictions on the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), the primary UN body aiding Palestinian refugees.

The court affirmed that UNRWA has not breached impartiality rules and that Israel must support its relief efforts.

“The occupying power may never invoke reasons of security to justify the general suspension of all humanitarian activities in occupied territory,” stated Judge Iwasawa Yuji, underscoring Israel’s duty to meet the basic needs of civilians in Gaza.

While the ICJ’s advisory opinion is non-binding, it carries significant political weight and is likely to intensify international pressure on Israel.

Israel’s ambassador to the UN called the ruling “shameful,” while the US State Department labeled it “corrupt,” alleging bias and overlooking UNRWA’s purported ties to Hamas.

The accusations echo Israel’s long-standing claims that UNRWA is infiltrated by Hamas, employing individuals with connections to the group and promoting anti-Israel sentiment in its educational programs.

UNRWA has consistently denied these allegations, and a UN investigation found that only a tiny fraction of its Gaza staff “may have” been involved in the Oct. 7 attacks.

The court stated that Israel has not provided sufficient evidence to support claims that a significant number of UNRWA employees are affiliated with Hamas or other terrorist groups.

“The court concludes that in the present circumstances, the United Nations, through UNRWA, has been an essential provider of humanitarian relief in the Gaza Strip,” the judge remarked, as he criticized the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which Israel claims is a substitute for some of UNRWA’s functions.

The court reiterated Israel’s obligation not to use starvation as a method of warfare against the Palestinian civilian population it occupies.

A Barrage of Legal Challenges

• The ruling is just one facet of a complex web of legal challenges facing Israel at the UN’s highest courts.

• The ICJ is currently hearing a case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of violating the Genocide Convention, a charge Israel vehemently denies.

• An independent UN inquiry concluded in September that Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, a finding echoed by other experts and human rights organizations, all of which Israel has rejected.

• In July 2024, the ICJ declared that Israel’s presence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem is illegal, urging Israel to end its long-standing occupation of territories sought by Palestinians for a future state. This sweeping opinion outlined various Israeli practices that the ICJ deemed violations of international law, including land confiscation, settlement construction, and the deprivation of Palestinians’ natural resources and self-determination rights. The court called on Israel to cease new settlement activities, evacuate settlers, and provide reparations for damages caused.

• Adding to the legal pressure, the ICC has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and a deceased senior Hamas official, Mohammed Deif, over alleged war crimes in Gaza. While Israel does not recognize the ICC, it is bound by the ICJ’s statutes as a UN member state.

Ceasefire and Aid Delivery

• Currently, a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has been in effect for over a week, with Israel allowing increased aid into Gaza in accordance with the truce agreement, which aims for 600 trucks per day, as reported by US and Israeli officials.

• Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA commissioner-general, welcomed the “unambiguous” legal opinion and stated that the UN has the capacity to “immediately scale up” its humanitarian response in the region.

• The ICJ’s latest ruling, combined with the ongoing genocide case and the ICC’s pursuit of arrest warrants, paints a picture of mounting international scrutiny and legal pressure on Israel over its actions in Gaza. The long-term implications of these legal challenges remain to be seen, but they undoubtedly add a significant layer of complexity to the already fraught Israeli-Palestinian conflict.