War in Gaza: main UN court orders entry of medical aid and food

In a unanimous ruling, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), known as the Hague Court, said Israel must act “without delay” to enable the “provision… of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance.”

Israel has called accusations that it is blocking the entry of humanitarian aid “totally unfounded.”

In response to the court order, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said it continued “to promote new initiatives and expand existing ones” to enable a continued flow of aid to Gaza “by land, air and sea”, working with the UN and others.

And he declared that Hamas was to blame for the situation in Gaza and the start of the war.

Although ICJ decisions are legally binding, the court has no power to ensure compliance.

Last week, a report from a respected international network known as IPC (Integrated Food Safety Phase Classification), which is managed by the World Food Program (WFP) and others, warned of a “catastrophic” situation. was developing.

And he stated that all 2.2 million people in Gaza “face high levels of acute food insecurity” — and the prediction is that a major wave of famine will set in in the north of the territory before the end of May.

In its ruling, the ICJ stated that Gaza “no longer just faces a risk of famine — according to the court, “famine is setting in” and, according to UN observers, 31 people, including 27 children, had already died from malnutrition and dehydration.

It also cited comments from Volker Türk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, who said last week that the famine was “the result of Israel’s extensive restrictions on the entry and distribution of humanitarian aid and goods, the displacement of most of the population, as well as the destruction of crucial civilian infrastructure”.

The court stated that Israel needs to “take all necessary and effective measures to ensure, without delay, in full cooperation with the United Nations, the free provision in magnitude…of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance.”

Among the most needed items are food, water, electricity, fuel, shelter and clothing, as well as hygiene products and medical supplies, he said.

The decision also highlights that Israel needs to ensure that “its military does not commit acts that constitute a violation of any of the rights of Palestinians in Gaza” under the Genocide Convention.

In recent months, we have repeatedly seen long lines of humanitarian aid trucks forming as vehicles wait to enter Gaza from Egypt. Israel is accused of subjecting deliveries to complex and arbitrary checks.

In a document filed last week, Israel asked the ICJ not to issue the recent ruling, saying South Africa’s accusations were “totally factually and legally baseless” and “morally repugnant.”

It also rejected the broader case that was opened against him under the Genocide Convention, calling it “baseless”.

Israel also stated that Hamas takes a large part of the humanitarian aid that enters Gaza — and accused the UN of not distributing what is left to the civilian population.

The current conflict began after the October 7 attacks, in which armed men led by Hamas crossed the border into Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostage.

Of those taken hostage, around 130 remain missing, with at least 34 presumed dead.

Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry says Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 32,552 people. Earlier this month, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that of those killed, more than 25,000 were women and children.