Analysis
The Hague blasts Israel which ‘has an obligation to facilitate UNRWA’
The ICJ: UNRWA has no ties to Hamas, Tel Aviv must facilitate it and the starvation imposed on Gaza is a war crime. This is a politically devastating decision that indicts many states, not just Israel.
“Israel has an obligation to recognize and facilitate relief programs provided by the United Nations and its bodies, including UNRWA,” said the president of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Yuji Iwasawa, on Wednesday afternoon, summarizing the latest decision issued by the world’s highest court.
The UN General Assembly had appealed to the Hague Court after Tel Aviv enacted a series of measures to achieve something it has wanted for a long time: to get rid of the UN agency that, since the Nakba, has protected Palestinian refugees and their descendants, providing essential services and – crucially – keeping alive their inalienable right to return.
The pretext to expel the UNRWA from the occupied Palestinian territories arrived on October 7, 2023. Israel immediately launched an extensive smear campaign, accusing the agency of ties to Hamas, In December 2023, it targeted 12 of its Gazan employees with unsubstantiated claims of involvement in the attack on southern Israel. Tel Aviv even bought sponsored Google ads so that searches for “UNRWA” led to a website set up by the Israeli government, filled with speculation but devoid of proof. This was enough for Western governments – from the U.S. under then-President Biden to Italy and the rest of Europe – to immediately suspend funding to an agency that was already in chronic crisis and was now facing the overwhelming needs arising from a genocide.
Only months later did Western capitals gradually resume funding, forced by Tel Aviv's complete failure to provide evidence and following the ICJ's first intervention in January 2024, which – recognizing the existence of a plausible genocide – ordered Israel to guarantee the entrance of massive amounts of humanitarian aid. Other ICJ orders followed, all crystal clear but impotent in the face of Israel's impunity. Last year, Israel definitively banned the UNRWA from its territory, preventing it from working in the Occupied Territories, to which one only has access if Israel allows it.
The Court reiterated on Wednesday: the UNRWA has no ties to Hamas; Tel Aviv, as an illegal occupying power, has the obligation to facilitate its activities and remove obstacles to aid; the starvation imposed on Gaza is a war crime and a crime against humanity.
This is a politically devastating decision that indicts many states, not just Israel, especially with the Rafah crossing still closed off (not even one sack of flour has gone through since May 2024) and the number of aid trucks entering since the truce being absolutely not enough to meet the needs of a starving population pushed to the brink.
The ICJ also rejected the “substitute” agency concocted by Washington and Tel Aviv, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a cruel aid “distribution” mechanism that served only to camouflage the real objective: the ethnic cleansing of northern and central Gaza.
Israeli authorities reacted to the decision immediately, calling the ICJ decision “shameful” and accusing the Court of “cultivating the ground for terrorism.” Israel has made it clear it will ignore this ruling as well.
It reiterated that stance on Wednesday with a vote in the Knesset, which took place just as U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance was meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu. By a vote of 25 to 24 (with Netanyahu's Likud party abstaining to dodge any fallout), the parliament gave preliminary approval to a bill annexing the West Bank – extending Israeli sovereignty over the territory occupied since 1967, where the ICJ ruled in July 2024 that Israel has imposed an illegal occupation, de facto annexation, and a system of apartheid. Amid the celebrations on the far right, the stance of Netanyahu’s so-called centrist opponents was notable: they voted against total annexation but supported annexing the settlement blocs.
Meanwhile, in Gaza, the offensive continues in other forms. On Friday, Israeli authorities handed over 30 bodies of Palestinians who died in custody. To date, 195 bodies have been returned, with dozens showing signs of torture, mutilation and execution. None have been identified; the only hope for families is to recognize their loved ones among the disfigured faces.
The recovery of the missing from under the rubble also continues – with bare hands, as has been the case for months due to Israel’s systematic destruction of rescue equipment. Journalist Hani Mahmoud reported on Friday: “Many of the families returning north are using their bare hands to search for the remains of their loved ones in the rubble... They return to neighborhoods reduced to piles of ruins and dust.”
Originally published at https://ilmanifesto.it/laja-non-arretra-israele-deve-far-entrare-lunrwa on 2025-10-23