Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations, and Ammar Hijazi, Representative of the State of Palestine to international organizations, at the ICJ hearing in The Hague on April 28, 2025. (Credit: Piroschka van de Wouw/Reuters)
The representative of the State of Palestine stated Monday at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that Israel is using the blockage of humanitarian aid as a "weapon of war" in Gaza. "Hunger is here. Humanitarian aid is being used as a weapon of war," said Ammar Hijazi, the State of Palestine's representative to international organizations, before ICJ judges.
The International Court of Justice, located in The Hague, Netherlands, has opened a week of hearings dedicated to Israel's humanitarian obligations toward the Palestinians, more than 50 days after a total blockade was imposed on aid entering the war-ravaged Gaza Strip. Thirty-eight other countries will present their submissions before a panel of 15 judges. Israel is not participating in the hearings, but its ally, the U.S., will make a submission on Wednesday.
"All United Nations-supported bakeries in Gaza have been forced to close their doors. Nine out of 10 Palestinians do not have access to drinking water," Hijazi said. "The premises of the United Nations and other international agencies are empty," he added.
Israel controls all flows of international aid, which is vital for the 2.4 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, and halted them on March 2, a few days before the collapse of a fragile cease-fire after 15 months of relentless fighting. According to the United Nations, about 500,000 Palestinians have been displaced since the end of the two-month cease-fire.
In December, the United Nations General Assembly had adopted a resolution by a wide majority, presented by Norway, requesting the ICJ to issue an advisory opinion "as a priority and urgently." The resolution asks the ICJ to clarify what Israel is required to do regarding the presence of the U.N., its agencies, international organizations, or third states to "ensure and facilitate the unrestricted delivery of essential supplies vital to the survival of the Palestinian civilian population."
ICJ advisory opinions are not legally binding, but this one is expected to increase diplomatic pressure on Israel.
The head of the U.N. Agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, denounced Friday "a man-made famine driven by political reasons."
