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UN urges Israel to comply with ICJ ruling on Gaza aid

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 23 October 2025 11:21 PM

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, has called on Israel to urgently adhere to a recent International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling, emphasizing its obligations under international law to ensure essential aid reaches Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Turk underscored the ICJ's advisory opinion, which reaffirmed that international human rights and humanitarian laws apply in the occupied Palestinian territory.

The ruling mandates Israel to "respect, protect, and fulfill" the human rights of Palestinians, including access to life-saving supplies.

The ICJ's Wednesday decision specifically highlighted Israel's duty under the Geneva Convention to facilitate relief efforts by impartial humanitarian organizations, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross and the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).

The court stressed fundamental rights, including the right to life, freedom from torture, liberty, security, movement, family protection, adequate living standards, health, education, non-discrimination, and self-determination.

Turk urged all parties to prioritize saving lives and delivering critical aid to Gaza, describing it as "the first step toward recovery and peace building anchored in human rights."

He emphasized that compliance with the ruling is essential to alleviate the dire humanitarian crisis in the region and to support the ongoing ceasefire's transformation into lasting peace.

"All states must act swiftly to address the appalling human rights and humanitarian situation on the ground," Turk said, calling for an immediate influx of aid to Gaza to pave the way for enduring stability in line with international law.

In July 2024, the ICJ issued an advisory opinion stating that Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories was "unlawful" and must end as soon as possible.

In another advisory opinion on Wednesday, the Hague-based tribunal said Israel, as an occupying power, is obligated to work with UN agencies to facilitate humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip, a rebuke of the regime's inhumane blockade of the Palestinian territory amid a genocidal war.

The court also said that Israel had failed to substantiate its allegations that the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) lacked neutrality or that a significant number of its staff were members of Hamas or other resistance groups.

The UN General Assembly requested the opinion in December 2024 after Israel banned UNRWA, significantly curtailing its ability to deliver aid to Gaza.

Israel unleashed its genocidal war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, after Hamas carried out the historic Al-Aqsa Flood operation against the usurping entity in retaliation for the regime's intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.

Israel accepted a Gaza ceasefire deal after two years, following the failure to achieve its declared objectives of eliminating Hamas and freeing all captives, despite killing 68,234 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring 170,373 others.