The International Court of Justice (ICJ) opened hearings Monday to scrutinize Israel’s role in the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where a nearly two-month blockade has left 2.3 million Palestinians facing starvation, disease, and displacement.
Palestinian representatives accused Israel of using aid as a “weapon of war,” while the United States and Britain faced criticism for their unwavering support of Israel despite mounting evidence of violations of international law. The hearings, prompted by a United Nations General Assembly request, underscore global outrage over Gaza’s plight and the complicity of Western powers in enabling Israel’s actions.
Since March 2, 2025, Israel has blocked all humanitarian aid and commercial goods from entering Gaza, triggering what the United Nations calls the “worst humanitarian crisis” in the 18-month conflict with Hamas.
The blockade followed the collapse of a two-month ceasefire on March 18, with Israel resuming airstrikes that have killed over 52,200 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to UNRWA. Gaza’s Health Ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but Israel claims 20,000 militants have been killed, offering no evidence to support the figure.
The blockade has crippled Gaza’s already fragile infrastructure. Hospitals lack fuel and medicine, food supplies are dwindling, and clean water is scarce. The World Food Programme (WFP) reports that 116,000 tonnes of food—enough to feed 1 million people for four months—sit idle at aid corridors, blocked by Israel’s closure of border crossings. “No humanitarian aid or commercial goods have been allowed into Gaza since March 2, which has devastating humanitarian consequences,” according to Al-Jazeera UN Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs Elinor Hammarskjold, addressing the ICJ on Monday.
Palestinian envoy Ammar Hijazi told the court that Israel’s actions are deliberate. “Israel is starving, killing, and displacing Palestinians while targeting and blocking humanitarian organizations trying to save their lives,” he said. Hijazi cited the deaths of 408 UN workers, including 295 UNRWA staff, and accused Israel of a “genocidal campaign” aimed at erasing Palestinian self-determination.
Israel declined to attend the hearings, submitting only written objections. According to Jpost Foreign Minister Gideon Saar branded the proceedings a “systematic persecution and delegitimization” of Israel, deflecting blame onto the UN and its Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA. Israel banned UNRWA operations in October 2024, accusing it of colluding with Hamas—a claim UNRWA denies and independent investigations have found baseless.
The ICJ is examining whether Israel, as an occupying power, is violating international humanitarian law by failing to ensure the “unhindered provision” of aid, as mandated by the UN Charter and prior ICJ rulings. In January, March, and May 2024, the court ordered Israel to allow aid into Gaza to prevent famine, but Israel has defied these nonbinding directives, as it did a 2004 ruling on its West Bank separation barrier.
Critics argue that US and British support has emboldened Israel’s intransigence. The US has provided Israel with $22 billion in military aid since October 2023, including precision-guided munitions used in Gaza airstrikes, according to the Anadolu. International Peace Research Institute. Britain, while calling for “unhindered” aid last week alongside France and Germany, has continued arms exports to Israel, with £42 million in licenses approved in 2024, per the UK Department for Business and Trade.
“It’s a tripartite genocide. It’s the US, UK, and Israel,” said investigative journalist Matt Kennard in an April 18 interview, pointing to British spy planes collecting intelligence over Gaza and US target acquisition support for Israeli strikes. While Kennard’s claim of “genocide” aligns with South Africa’s ongoing ICJ case against Israel, it remains unproven in court.
The hearings, running through May 2, feature testimony from 40 countries, including South Africa, China, Russia, and Saudi Arabia, as well as the League of Arab States and the African Union. South Africa, which accused Israel of genocide in a separate ICJ case, will present its arguments Tuesday. Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour urged the court to deliver justice, saying, “Israel annexes our land. It kills, dispossesses, and displaces to destroy our people.”
Lawyer Blinne Ni Ghralaigh, representing Palestine, highlighted Gaza’s unprecedented suffering: “Gaza is now home to the largest cohort of child amputees in the world and the largest orphan crisis in modern history.” She cited UN data showing 17,000 children orphaned and 4,000 requiring limb amputations since October 2023.
The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported on April 23 that Gaza’s crisis is compounded by Israel’s “deliberate dismantling of Palestinian life.” Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Deir el-Balah, described rescuers struggling to reach victims trapped under rubble, with equipment damaged and fuel scarce.
While President Donald Trump claimed on April 25 to have pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to allow aid into Gaza, no tangible progress has followed. The US vetoed three UN Security Council resolutions calling for a Gaza ceasefire in 2024, drawing criticism from Human Rights Watch, which accused Washington of prioritizing Israel’s interests over Palestinian lives.
Britain’s role has also drawn scrutiny. A March 2025 UN report accused Israel of “genocidal acts,” including destroying women’s healthcare facilities and restricting medical supplies, leading to a surge in maternity deaths. The UK, a signatory to the Genocide Convention, has not suspended arms exports, prompting accusations of complicity. “The world should punish the criminal regime,” said Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on X, reflecting sentiments shared by some Global South nations.
The ICJ’s advisory opinion, expected in months, will not be legally binding, but experts say it could shape international policy. “The tide of pressure is mounting,” said Al Jazeera’s Rory Challands, reporting from The Hague. He noted that Israel’s repeated defiance of ICJ and International Criminal Court rulings has eroded its global standing.
Humanitarian groups warn that time is running out. UNRWA’s Sam Rose said on March 21 that flour stocks would last only six days, a prediction now realized. “We are talking days, not weeks,” he told reporters in Geneva.
