Overview
- Judges will read the nonbinding advisory opinion at 3 p.m. in The Hague following a December request from the U.N. General Assembly.
- The case focuses on Israel’s obligations as an occupying power to ensure unhindered humanitarian access and to safeguard U.N. personnel and operations.
- Israel did not attend April hearings in person but filed a written submission; it has banned UNRWA from operating in Gaza, allegations of widespread staff ties to Hamas remaining unsubstantiated by an April 2024 review that noted narrower neutrality issues.
- A U.S.-brokered ceasefire envisions 600 aid trucks a day, yet the World Food Programme reports 530 trucks and more than 6,700 tonnes delivered since Oct. 10, with roughly 750 tonnes per day still far below its ~2,000-tonne target.
- Parallel processes continue, including South Africa’s genocide case at the ICJ and ICC arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas commander Mohammed Deif.