The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has said that Israel has an obligation to allow aid from the United Nations into the Gaza Strip to ensure that the basic needs of Palestinians are met.

11 international judges met in The Hague yesterday to issue the advisory opinion, which has no enforcement power, but carries legal and political significance.

The ICJ states that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) must be permitted to provide aid, including food, water, clothing, bedding, shelter and medical supplies for Gaza’s population.

However, Israel’s Foreign Ministry has said it “categorically rejects” the ICJ’s opinion. In a post on X, the department claimed the ruling was a “political attempt to impose political measures against Israel”.

Israel had previously passed laws banning UNRWA from delivering aid to Gaza and accused some members of the organisation’s staff of being members of Hamas. The ICJ, however, has said that Israel does not have the evidence to back up the claim that a significant part of UNRWA’s employees are members of Hamas or any other terrorist group.

UNRWA’s Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini has said the group has food and other supplies on standby in Egypt and Jordan, ready to scale up the humanitarian response in Gaza.

Earlier this month, the US mediated a ceasefire plan, but Gaza’s media office has said that this has been violated by Israel 47 times, killing 38 Palestinians.

The ceasefire also stated that 600 trucks of aid must be allowed into Gaza every day. Prior to the ceasefire, experts from the UN said over 640,000 people in Gaza City were facing catastrophic food insecurity amid famine caused by Israel’s blockade.

A spokesperson for the World Food Programme has said that they are delivering 750 tonnes of food into Gaza every day. While this is higher than the figure entering Gaza prior to the ceasefire, it is still below the group’s target of 2,000 tonnes each day.