Judgment Strikes Blow to Israeli Laws Against UNRWA
October 22, 2025—The International Court of Justice, the highest judicial body of the United Nations, ruled today that Israel is obligated as the occupying power to allow humanitarian aid to the people in the Gaza Strip. Furthermore, the court ordered Israel 1.) to respect the prohibition on the forcible transfer of a population and 2.) allow the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit detainees.
Today’s decision comes at the request of the UN General Assembly, specifically after Israel’s legislature voted to block UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, from work.
The ICJ is considering three separate cases relating to Israel-Palestine. Today’s 71-page Advisory Opinion is associated with the case of the military occupation by Israel on the Palestinian territories. A summary of its decisions is linked here.
Unanimous Decision on Obligation to Allow Aid
The ICJ panel of judges unanimously asserted that Israel has an obligation to ensure the population in occupied territories has essential supplies, including food, water, clothing, bedding, shelter, fuel, medical supplies, and services.
“As an occupying Power, Israel is obliged to ensure the basic needs of the local population, including the supplies essential for their survival. Obligations to this effect are set out in Articles 55 and 56 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. These obligations, which are owed by the occupying Power to the population of the occupied territory, must be read in conjunction with Article 59 in considering Israel’s obligations in relation to the activities of the United Nations, other international organizations and third States.”
UNRWA is Acting Legally
By a vote of 10-to-1, the ICJ ordered Israel to facilitate “all means at its disposal” relief including through UNRWA. The one dissenting vote came from Julia Secutinde, a jurist from Uganda who subscribes to a Zionist sect of Christianity and has asserted that, “The Lord is counting on me to stand on the side of Israel.” Note, the Geneva-based International Commission of Jurists has called on ICJ to investigate Secutinde, citing concerns about judicial impartiality and integrity.
The ICJ examined the role of UNRWA and determined it conducts its work within the legal scope of impartiality. Israel has tried to replace the relief organization with a militarized mechanism called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
Illegal Siege and Use of GHF
The ICJ said Israel has not fulfilled its obligations, specifically citing its blockade on humanitarian aid from March 2 to May 19, 2025. Furthermore, the Court rebuked Israel’s use of the GHF, which “has been widely criticized” for not operating with core humanitarian principles.
It noted that over 2,100 Palestinians “have been killed at or near the distribution sites” of the GHF since it started operating on May 27. (OCHA, “Humanitarian Situation Update #319 | Gaza Strip on September 4, 2025.”
Moreover, since June 2025, OCHA has warned about “a growing likelihood of famine” in Gaza due to “critical shortages of essential medicines and supplies.” In August, the agency reported that 204 people, including 51 children, died from malnutrition
The ICJ also noted that at least 531 aid workers, including 366 United Nations personnel, have been killed in Gaza. In 2024, Gaza became the deadliest place for humanitarian aid workers.
Israel’s Security Concerns
Since Hamas and other militants attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, Israel has engaged militarily in the Gaza Strip, asserting its security concerns.
The ICJ acknowledged Israel’s security concerns and asserted that security interests “is not a free-standing exception permitting a State to depart from the otherwise applicable rules of international humanitarian law.”
That means Israel’s obligated first as an occupying power to follow the rules of international humanitarian law.
Israel Must Protect Civilians
The Court also emphasized other obligations under international law, many provided by the Fourth Geneva Convention. Specifically, it admonished Israel to distinguish between civilians and civilian objects and combatants and military objects.
Furthermore, the ICJ noted that international law prohibits the forcible transfer and deportation of the population.
