ICJ: Israel Uses Aid Blockade as a 'Weapon of War' in Gaza, Says Palestinian Representative
The representative of the State of Palestine stated on Monday before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that Israel is using the blockade of humanitarian aid as a "weapon of war" in Gaza, as a week of hearings on Israel's humanitarian obligations towards Palestinians begins in The Hague.
Israel, which is not participating in the ICJ hearings, immediately retaliated by describing the proceedings as a "systematic persecution."
The ICJ, located in The Hague (Netherlands), opened its hearings more than 50 days after a total blockade was imposed on aid entering the war-torn Gaza Strip.
"All UN-supported bakeries in Gaza have been forced to close. Nine out of ten Palestinians do not have access to drinking water," stated Ammar Hijazi, the Palestinian representative to international organizations, during the opening of the hearing.
"UN facilities and other international agencies are empty... Hunger is here. Humanitarian aid is being used as a weapon of war," he added before the ICJ judges.
Speaking from Jerusalem, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar claimed that the procedure "is part of a systematic persecution and delegitimization of Israel."
"It is not Israel that should be judged. It is the UN and UNRWA" (the UN agency for Palestinian refugees), he told journalists.
Israel has enacted a law prohibiting UNRWA from operating on Israeli soil after accusing some staff members of participating in the attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on October 7, 2023, which triggered the conflict.
Independent investigations indicate that Israel has not provided evidence regarding these allegations.
"As an occupying power, the State of Israel must provide services or facilitate their provision - including through UNRWA - to the population it occupies," said Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA’s Commissioner-General, in a statement on Monday. He had denounced "a man-made famine motivated by political reasons" on Friday.
- "Urgently" -
In December, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution asking the ICJ to issue an advisory opinion "as a priority and urgently."
The resolution requests that the ICJ clarify Israel's obligations regarding the presence of the UN, its agencies, international organizations, or third states to "ensure and facilitate the unhindered delivery of urgent supplies essential for the survival of the Palestinian civilian population."
Israel controls all flows of international aid, vital for the 2.4 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip affected by an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, and interrupted these flows on March 2, just days before the collapse of a fragile ceasefire after 15 months of continuous fighting.
On Friday, the World Food Programme warned that all community kitchens in Gaza serving hot meals "would be completely out of food in the coming days."
Images from AFP from one of these establishments in Gaza City show a dense crowd of children outside, desperately holding out their pots and pans for food.
According to the United Nations, about 500,000 Palestinians have been displaced since the end of the two-month ceasefire.
Israel resumed its aerial and ground attacks on March 18, killing at least 2,111 Palestinians and triggering what the United Nations has described as "probably the worst" humanitarian crisis in the territory since the war began.
The Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Israeli military reprisals have since killed at least 52,243 people in Gaza, again mostly civilians, according to figures from the territory's health ministry, deemed reliable by the UN.
Israeli officials repeat that military pressure is the only way to compel Hamas to release the 58 hostages still held in Gaza, of whom 34 have died, according to the Israeli army.
In January 2024, the ICJ ordered Israel to prevent any potential acts of genocide against Palestinians and to allow humanitarian aid access to Gaza. In March 2024, it called for new Israeli measures in response to "the famine that is setting in" in the Palestinian territory.
Last July, the ICJ also issued an advisory opinion deeming the Israeli occupation of Palestinian Territories "illegal," demanding that it cease as soon as possible.
ICJ advisory opinions are not legally binding, but this one is expected to increase diplomatic pressure on Israel.
© Agence France-Presse
