Israel’s Gaza aid blockade contested in World Court hearings

U.N. officials and Palestinian delegates at the International Court of Justice charged Israel with violating international law by blocking aid access to Gaza, during the initial day of hearings regarding Israel’s responsibilities to support aid deliveries.

As of March 2, Israel has entirely halted all supplies to the 2.3 million inhabitants of the Gaza Strip, and the food reserves accumulated during an earlier ceasefire have nearly depleted.

During the commencement of the hearings at the U.N.’s highest court, the legal counsel for the U.N. stated that Israel had a distinct responsibility as an occupying power to permit and support humanitarian assistance for the individuals in Gaza.

“In the specific context of the current situation in the occupied Palestinian Territories, these obligations entail allowing all relevant U.N. entities to carry out activities for the benefit of the local population,” Elinor Hammarskjold said.

Palestinian representative Ammar Hijazi said Israel was using humanitarian aid as “a weapon of war”, while people in Gaza were facing starvation.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Israel had submitted its position in writing to the hearings, which he described as a “circus”.

Speaking in Jerusalem on Monday, Saar said the court was being politicised, while the U.N. was failing to root out employees of its Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA who are members of Gaza militant groups.

“They are abusing the court once again to try and force Israel to cooperate with an organisation that is infested with Hamas terrorists,” Saar said. “The goal is to deprive Israel of its most basic right to defend itself.”