UN Urges “Israel” to Comply with ICJ Ruling, Facilitate Urgent Gaza Aid

By Staff, Agencies

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, has called on “Israel” to immediately comply with a recent International Court of Justice [ICJ] ruling, emphasizing its legal obligation to ensure that essential humanitarian aid reaches Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories.

In a statement released Thursday, Turk reaffirmed that the ICJ’s advisory opinion underscores the applicability of international human rights and humanitarian law to the occupied Palestinian territories. The ruling compels “Israel” to “respect, protect and fulfill” the human rights of Palestinians, including their access to life-saving supplies and basic services.

The court’s Wednesday decision specifically cited “Israel’s” obligations under the Geneva Convention to allow impartial humanitarian organizations—such as the International Committee of the Red Cross and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees [UNRWA]—to carry out relief operations freely. It also reaffirmed a range of fundamental rights, including the rights to life, liberty, security, family unity, adequate living standards, health, education and self-determination.

Turk urged all parties to focus on saving lives and ensuring the unimpeded delivery of aid to Gaza, calling it “the first step toward recovery and peacebuilding anchored in human rights.” He stressed that adherence to the ICJ ruling is crucial to alleviating Gaza’s catastrophic humanitarian crisis and transforming the ongoing ceasefire into a lasting peace.

“All states must act swiftly to address the appalling human rights and humanitarian situation on the ground,” Turk said, urging immediate and large-scale aid deliveries to Gaza to stabilize the situation in accordance with international law.

The ICJ’s July 2024 advisory opinion had previously declared “Israel’s” occupation of Palestinian territories “unlawful” and demanded its termination “as soon as possible.” In its latest opinion, the Hague-based tribunal reaffirmed that “Israel,” as an occupying power, must cooperate with UN agencies to facilitate humanitarian access to Gaza—an implicit rebuke of the entity’s continued blockade amid its genocidal war.

The court also rejected “Israel’s” accusations that UNRWA lacked neutrality or that many of its staff were affiliated with Hamas or other Palestinian resistance movements, noting that the entity had failed to provide credible evidence to support such claims.

The UN General Assembly had requested this opinion in December 2024 after “Israel” banned UNRWA, severely undermining humanitarian operations in Gaza.

“Israel” launched its genocidal war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, following Hamas’s historic Operation Al-Aqsa Flood—an armed response to escalating atrocities committed by the occupying entity against the Palestinian people. After two years of relentless bombardment and mass atrocities, “Israel” ultimately accepted a ceasefire deal, having failed to achieve its stated goals of eradicating Hamas and freeing all captives. The war left at least 68,234 Palestinians martyred—mostly women and children—and 170,373 injured.