‘Weapon of war'
A top Palestinian official told the International Court of Justice yesterday that Israel was blocking humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza as a 'weapon of war', at the start of a week of hearings at the UN's top court.
Israel is not participating at the ICJ but hit back immediately, dismissing the hearings as 'part of the systematic persecution and delegitimisation' of the country.
The ICJ is hearing dozens of nations and organisations to draw up a so-called advisory opinion on Israel's humanitarian obligations to Palestinians, more than 50 days into its total blockage on aid entering war-ravaged Gaza.
Top Palestinian official Ammar Hijazi told judges that 'all UN-supported bakeries in Gaza have been forced to shut their doors'.
'Nine of every 10 Palestinians have no access to safe drinking water. Storage facilities of the UN and other international agencies are empty,' added Hijazi.
'These are the facts. Starvation is here. Humanitarian aid is being used as a weapon of war,' concluded the Palestinian representative.
In December, the UN's General Assembly asked the ICJ for an advisory opinion 'on a priority basis and with the utmost urgency'.
The UN asked judges to clarify Israel's legal duties towards the UN and its agencies, international organisations or third-party states to 'ensure and facilitate the unhindered provision of urgently needed supplies essential to the survival of the Palestinian civilian population'.
Israel strictly controls all inflows of international aid vital for the 2.4 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
It halted aid deliveries to Gaza on March 2, days before the collapse of a ceasefire that had significantly reduced hostilities after 15 months of war.
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