"International Court of Justice" Begins Session to Rule on Israel's Obligations in Aid to Gaza

SadaNews - The International Court of Justice began, on Wednesday, a session to pronounce its ruling in the case related to Israel's obligations towards agencies providing humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Judge Yuji Iwasawa, the President of the Court, opened the public session in which the Court will announce its "advisory opinion" that defines Israel's duties regarding facilitating the delivery of aid to Gaza.

The United Nations General Assembly voted in December 2024 on a draft resolution to request the International Court of Justice's opinion on Israel's obligations to facilitate aid provided to Palestinians by international organizations, including the United Nations.

At that time, the General Assembly approved the resolution with a majority of 137 votes out of 193 countries in favor of the resolution drafted by Norway. Israel, the United States, and ten other countries voted against it, while 22 countries abstained from voting, according to Reuters.

This step came in response to Israel's decision to ban the operations of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) starting from late January 2024, in addition to additional obstacles faced by other UN agencies in their relief work in Gaza over the past year.

The International Court of Justice is the highest court in the United Nations, and its advisory opinions hold legal and political weight even though they are non-binding.

The court, located in The Hague, does not have enforcement powers if its opinions are ignored.