Palestine accuses Israel of ‘killing and starving’ civilians at UN court hearing
In a case that Israel denounced as part of its “systematic persecution and delegitimisation,” a Palestinian ambassador told the UN’s top court on Monday that Israel is murdering, uprooting, and targeting charity workers in Gaza.
Israel did not attend the International Court of Justice session and disputes that it intentionally targeted civilians and relief workers as part of its fight with Hamas. Ammar Hijazi, the Palestinian ambassador to the Netherlands, charged Israel with violating international law in the occupied territories in The Hague.
He told the court, “Israel is killing, starving, and uprooting Palestinians while also focusing on and obstructing humanitarian organisations that are attempting to save their lives.” The proceedings centre on a request made by the U.N. General Assembly last year for the court to consider Israel’s legal obligations after the nation closed its territory to the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees.
One of the Geneva Conventions “not the occupying power is required to consent to relief plans for the population, but it must also assist in implementing them by every possible means disposal,” Palestinian attorney Paul Reichler told justices.
“Actions the occupying power’s measures for security should not prevent impartial humanitarian organizations such as the United Nations from delivering relief schemes,” stated Elinor Hammarskjöld, U.N. Undersecretary-General for Legal Affairs.
As Gaza’s humanitarian aid system is on the verge of collapsing, hearings began. Since March 2, Israel has prohibited the entry of gasoline, food, medication, and other humanitarian items. On March 18, it broke a truce by resuming its bombing and capturing a sizable portion of the region, claiming its goal was to pressure Hamas into releasing more captives. Israeli pressure has increased, but ceasefire attempts are still at a standstill.
As many families struggle to provide for their children, the World Food Program said this week that its food supplies in the Gaza Strip had run out, cutting off hundreds of thousands of Palestinians’ primary source of nutrition.
What can we expect in court?
On Monday, the court was first addressed by the United Nations, then by representatives of Palestine. Four international organisations and 40 governments are expected to take part in total. The United States, an ally of Israel, will address on Wednesday. It will probably take the court months to make a decision. Although the ruling is not legally enforceable, experts think it might have a significant influence on public opinion, foreign aid to Israel, and international jurisprudence.
Juliette McIntyre, an international law specialist at the University of South Australia, told The Associated Press that advisory opinions offer clarification. They are utilised by governments in international discussions, and the results may be used to exert pressure on Israel to relax aid limits. However, it’s unclear if any decision will affect Israel. Israel has long claimed that the UN unfairly discriminates against it and has disregarded an ICJ advisory decision from 2004 that declared its West Bank separation barrier to be unlawful.
The Palestinians are seeking justice, and they want an advisory opinion “to enable humanitarian aid to reach our population at the scale required, spearheaded by UNRWA, the remarkable and inspiring success of multilateralism under the United Nations,” Palestinian U.N. envoy Riyad Mansour told reporters.
South Africa, a strong opponent of Israel, will make its case on Tuesday. The nation accused Israel of perpetrating genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza during proceedings in a different case before the court last year; Israel disputes the accusation. Those are currently ongoing processes.
Israel’s strained relationship with UNRWA
In January, Israel imposed an embargo on UNRWA, the organisation that supplies relief to Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right supporters have become increasingly critical of the group, arguing that Hamas has a deep-seated infiltration of it. UNRWA disputes the assertion.
Israel filed a 38-page paper clarifying Weissbrod’s declaration and stating that it had no legal duties “towards any third parties” in the occupied territories, despite the fact that it did not attend the proceedings in The Hague.
About 1,200 people were murdered in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, which also sparked the war in Gaza. Despite the fact that the evidence was not verified, UNRWA claimed to have dismissed nine employees after an internal U.N. inquiry found that they could have been involved.
Gaza is not specifically included by the Israeli prohibition. However, it has complete control over who may enter the country, and UNRWA’s capacity to operate within Israel is severely restricted.
In addition to 3 million Palestinians in Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon, the organisation has been offering relief and services, such as health and education, to some 2.5 million Palestinians in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, and East Jerusalem.
