Top UN court says Israel must allow UN relief agency to supply aid to
Gaza
[October 23, 2025]
By MOLLY QUELL
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The International Court of Justice said on
Wednesday that Israel must allow the U.N. aid agency in Gaza, known as
UNRWA, to provide humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian territory.
The Hague-based court was asked late last year by the U.N. General
Assembly to determine Israel’s legal obligations after the country
passed laws effectively banning the agency, the main provider of aid to
Gaza, from operating there.
Israel “is under the obligation to agree to and facilitate relief
schemes provided by the United Nations and its entities, including UNRWA,”
ICJ President Yuji Iwasawa said.
Israel has not allowed UNRWA to bring in its supplies since March. But
the agency continues to operate in Gaza, running health centers, mobile
medical teams, sanitation services and school classes for children. It
says it has 6,000 trucks of supplies waiting to get in.
The commissioner-general of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, said in a message
on X that he welcomed “the unambiguous ruling by the International Court
of Justice today.”
“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,” he added.
Ceasefire to consider
The advisory opinion from the World Court comes as a fragile
U.S.-brokered Gaza ceasefire agreement, which took effect on Oct. 10,
continues to hold.
Israel has denied it has violated international law, saying the court's
proceedings are biased, and the country didn't attend hearings in April.
However, Israel provided a 38-page written submission for the court to
consider.
In a written statement, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected
the opinion and said Israel “fully upholds its obligations under
International Law.”
It added, in a reference to UNRWA, that Israel “will not cooperate with
an organization that is infested with terror activities.”
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called the ruling “an important
decision” and said he hoped that Israel will abide by it.
“This decision comes at a moment in which we are doing everything we can
to boost our humanitarian aid in Gaza,” Guterres told The Associated
Press in Geneva. “So the impact of this decision is decisive in order
for us to be able to do it to the level that is necessary for the tragic
situation in which the people of Gaza still is.”
UNRWA ban
UNRWA has faced criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
and his far-right allies, who say the group is deeply infiltrated by
Hamas.
The agency rejects that claim, and the ICJ found that Israel hadn't
“substantiated the allegations,” Iwasawa said.
The court also held that the population of the Gaza Strip had been
“inadequately supplied,” and that Israel was required to ensure “the
basic needs of the local population” are met.
Representatives of the Palestinians applauded the decision. Speaking to
reporters after the hearing, Palestinian Ambassador to the Netherlands
Ammar Hijazi said it was “clear, unequivocal and conclusive” and left
Israel with “no pretext, no context, no excuse” to ban UNRWA.
[to top of second column]
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Palestinian Ambassadors to the United Nations Ammar Hijazi, right,
waits for the reading of the advisory opinion of the International
Court of Justice on what Israel must do to ensure humanitarian aid
reaches Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, in The
Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
In its written submission, Israel argued that the court should
reject the request from the U.N. General Assembly, because it was
too similar to other advisory opinions and the judges lacked the
fact-finding abilities to make a determination.
Advisory opinion
In an advisory opinion last year, the court said that Israel’s
presence in the occupied Palestinian territories is unlawful and
called on it to end, and for settlement construction to stop
immediately. That ruling fueled moves for unilateral recognition of
a Palestinian state.
Israel condemned the decision, saying it failed to address the
country’s security concerns.
Two decades ago, the court ruled that Israel’s West Bank separation
barrier was “contrary to international law.” Israel boycotted those
proceedings, saying they were politically motivated.
Advisory opinions carry significant legal weight, but are described
as “nonbinding” as there are no direct penalties for ignoring them.
Wednesday opinion is separate from the ongoing proceedings initiated
by South Africa, accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.
Israel rejects South Africa’s claim and accuses it of providing
political cover for Hamas.
Arrest warrant for Netanyahu
Last year, another Hague-based tribunal, the International Criminal
Court, issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former defense
minister, Yoav Gallant, alleging that the pair have used “starvation
as a method of warfare” by restricting humanitarian aid and have
intentionally targeted civilians — charges that Israeli officials
strongly deny.
The advisory opinion from the ICJ noted that Israel “is not to use
starvation of the civilian population as a method of warfare."
The opinion provides “strong legal support for the case against
Netanyahu” said Tom Dannenbaum, professor of law at Stanford
University.
The war in Gaza was triggered by Hamas’ surprise attack on southern
Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which left 1,200 people, mostly civilians,
dead and 250 taken hostage. Israel’s retaliatory offensive in the
Palestinian territory has killed more than 68,000 people, according
to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
The ministry’s figures, which don't distinguish between civilians
and combatants, are seen as the most reliable by U.N. agencies and
independent experts. Israel has disputed them without providing its
own toll.
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Associated Press journalists Lee Keath, in Cairo, and Jamey Keaten,
in Geneva, contributed.
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