A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
The United Nations' top court says Israel must allow U.N. agencies, including the one that assists Palestinian refugees, to deliver humanitarian aid into Gaza. The nonbinding opinion challenges Israeli laws that effectively banned UNRWA, the U.N.'s longtime aid provider in the territory, from operating there. Reporter Anna Holligan was inside the International Court of Justice and sent this report from The Hague.
YUJI IWASAWA: The seating is open. The court meets today.
ANNA HOLLIGAN: The judges were clear in their legal interpretation, read by the presiding judge Yuji Iwasawa.
IWASAWA: The state of Israel, as an occupying power, is required to fulfill its obligations under international humanitarian law.
HOLLIGAN: Including, he said, to ensure people in Gaza and the West Bank can access aid essential for their survival - including food, water, bedding, fuel and medical supplies - and to respect and protect humanitarian facilities. The judge said that in line with U.N. charters and treaties Israel has signed, it must also recognize the privileges and immunities granted to U.N. agencies, allowing UNRWA to operate without interference. Jonathan Fowler is UNRWA'S senior communications manager.
JONATHAN FOWLER: The ruling from the International Court of Justice today is unambiguous. It also underscores the fact that what's been said for years, notably during this war in Gaza, Israel's claims that UNRWA is infiltrated by Hamas are absolutely not substantiated, nor are the allegations that UNRWA is not neutral.
HOLLIGAN: The judge further stated that Israel must not use starvation as a weapon of war, nor forcibly transfer or deport people in Gaza, the occupied West Bank or East Jerusalem. The Palestinian ambassador to the Netherlands, Ammar Hijazi, is hopeful the advisory, while nonbinding, will have a tangible effect.
AMMAR HIJAZI: Our hope is that it will influence the current discussion related to the ceasefire and the rebuilding and relief efforts in Gaza.
HOLLIGAN: Israel's foreign ministry categorically rejected the ICJ's opinion, saying Israel fully upholds its obligations under international law.
For NPR News, I'm Anna Holligan in The Hague.
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