Lawyers and judges sit in the courtroom of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague on 22 October 2025. KOEN VAN WEEL / AFP
The International Court of Justice said on Wednesday, October 22, that Israel was obliged to ease the passage of aid into Gaza, stressing it had to provide Palestinians with "basic needs" essential to survival. The wide-ranging ICJ ruling came as aid groups are scrambling to scale up much-needed humanitarian assistance into Gaza, seizing upon a fragile ceasefire agreed earlier this month.
The ICJ's "Advisory Opinion" is not legally binding but the court believes it carries "great legal weight and moral authority." ICJ President Yuji Iwasawa said Israel was "under an obligation to agree to and facilitate relief schemes provided by the United Nations and its entities." That included UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, which Israel has banned after accusing some of its staff of taking part in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack that sparked the war. The ICJ ruled that Israel had not substantiated those allegations.
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