ICJ: Israel Must Allow Aid; UNRWA Laws Unlawful

The International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion saying Israel, as the occupying power, must facilitate and respect the work of UN and independent humanitarian agencies — notably UNRWA — and may not invoke security pretexts to suspend their activities or extend domestic bans into the Occupied Palestinian Territory; the court found Israel provided no credible evidence that UNRWA was widely infiltrated. The court ruled that recent Israeli laws ending cooperation with UNRWA were unlawful, emphasized the inviolability of UN premises and immunities of UN personnel, and recalled Israel’s duties under the UN Charter, the Geneva Conventions and human-rights law to ensure civilians’ access to food, water, medical care, fuel and other essentials while forbidding starvation and forcible transfers. The advisory is non-binding but carries heavy political weight and calls for cooperation with UN agencies and the ICRC. Israel strongly rejected the ruling, calling the ICJ a "kangaroo court," while the United States dismissed the opinion and had previously halted UNRWA funding; South Africa, UN officials and other states urged swift compliance. U.N. data and humanitarian agencies say Israel is allowing far fewer aid trucks into Gaza than required under ceasefire plans and that deliveries remain far short, worsening catastrophic shortages and famine risks; the ruling has intensified diplomatic pressure to increase lifesaving deliveries.