The head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said Tuesday that more than 50 of its employees have been arrested and treated "inhumanely" by Israel since the start of the war in Gaza. UNRWA specified that no arrested employees are still being held by Israel.

Israel enacted a law prohibiting the U.N. subsidiary agency from operating on Israeli soil, after accusing some staff members of having participated in the Hamas attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

"Since the start of the war in October 2023, more than 50 UNRWA staff members, including teachers, doctors and social workers, have been arrested and mistreated. They were treated in the most shocking and inhumane manner possible," Philippe Lazzarini stated on X.

"They said they were beaten and used as human shields. They suffered sleep deprivation, humiliation, threats of violence against them and their families, as well as attacks by dogs. Many were forced to make false confessions," he added. "It's simply appalling and outrageous."

The Israeli military did not immediately provide comments. These statements come a day after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague opened hearings dedicated to Israel's humanitarian obligations toward Palestinians. The representative of the State of Palestine asserted that Israel is using the blockade of humanitarian aid as a "weapon of war" in Gaza.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar responded by denouncing a "systematic persecution" of Israel — which is not participating in the hearings — and asserting that "it's the U.N. and UNRWA" that should be on trial.

Israel controls the entry of international aid into Gaza, vital for the 2.4 million residents afflicted by an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. Israeli authorities halted this flow on March 2, just days before resuming a military offensive in the Palestinian territory after a two-month truce.