‘UNRWA won’t step foot in Gaza’: Israel rejects ICJ ruling demanding it let UN agency provide Gaza aid

UNRWA will not be allowed to renew its activities in the Gaza Strip despite a ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that demands Israel allow the UN agency to renew its operations there, Kan News reported on Thursday.

The state broadcaster quoted an Israeli official, who vowed that UNRWA (UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) will “not step foot in Gaza.”

The official added that every UN agency that operated in the enclave ended up either failing its mission or being controlled by Hamas.

He also noted that this message was also shared with the Trump administration, “in the hope that the Americans will agree with Israel on this issue.”

This says it all.
Out of 71 pages (33,526 words), the ICJ dedicated 2.5 lines (41 words) to the October 7th massacre. pic.twitter.com/QB1mZTdCn1

— Oren Marmorstein (@OrenMarmorstein) October 22, 2025

On Wednesday, the ICJ ruled in a non-binding, advisory opinion, that Israel has a legal obligation to allow UNRWA to provide humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip, and that it is responsible to ensure the population of Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, “has the essential supplies of daily life, including food, water, clothing, bedding, shelter, fuel, medical supplies and services.”

“Israel categorically rejects the ICJ’s ‘advisory opinion,’ which was entirely predictable from the outset regarding UNRWA,” Israel’s Foreign Ministry said.

“This is yet another political attempt to impose political measures against Israel under the guise of ‘International Law.’ Today’s ICJ advisory opinion should have called out the terrorist activity that UNRWA has been involved in: UNRWA employees directly took part in the October 7th massacre and continue to assist Hamas’s terrorist operations - all under the auspices of the United Nations. Hamas terror activity within UNRWA took place before the October 7th massacre, during the massacre, and after the massacre.”

Israel categorically rejects the ICJ’s “advisory opinion,” which was entirely predictable from the outset regarding UNRWA. This is yet another political attempt to impose political measures against Israel under the guise of “International Law.”

Today’s ICJ advisory opinion… pic.twitter.com/LgaMNXujly

— Oren Marmorstein (@OrenMarmorstein) October 22, 2025

“Israel provided the UN with extensive evidence proving Hamas’s infiltration into UNRWA, but the UN has never investigated the full extent of that infiltration. To this day, UNRWA still employs more than 1,400 Hamas operatives,” the statement read.

The ICJ ruling asserted that there was no evidence UNRWA had violated its obligation to impartiality under Article 59 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which it said related to discrimination in the provision of humanitarian aid and services.

This obligation refers to the prohibition on discriminating against the population that will receive the aid on the basis of nationality, race, religious belief, class or political opinion, the court said, stating that UNRWA was not guilty of this.

While the court acknowledged that “an occupying Power” was in principle “free to choose the humanitarian organizations” which carry out its obligation to distribute aid, it argued this freedom was limited by the requirement to provide adequate supplies.

The court said that it found the population of the Gaza Strip had not received adequate humanitarian aid. It also argued that UNRWA is “an indispensable provider of humanitarian relief in the Gaza Strip.”

Therefore, Israel is obligated “to agree to and facilitate relief schemes provided by the United Nations and its entities, including UNRWA.”

Once again, court Vice President Julia Sebutinde was the only dissenting opinion, writing that the ICJ didn’t “sufficiently consider” the extent of Hamas’s infiltration of UNRWA and that there is “no obligation to assist UN agencies acting contrary to the Charter’s principles.”

In October 2024, Israel’s Knesset banned UNRWA from operating on Israeli territory, including east Jerusalem, and banned state agencies from maintaining contacts with it.

In response to this law, several UN members requested the ICJ to issue an advisory opinion on whether Israel was obligated to cooperate with UNRWA.