Amnesty International and HRW says Israel reducing humanitarian aid to Gaza despite UN court order

Geneva (Quds News Network) – Two prominent human rights groups, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW), have accused Israel of reducing humanitarian aid into Gaza by two-thirds despite a United Nations’ top court order to the contrary.

Exactly one month ago, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague issued a ruling stating that Israel must take all necessary measures to prevent genocidal acts in the besieged territory. The court also emphasized that Tel Aviv must undertake “immediate and effective measures” to facilitate aid provision.

Amnesty International says that Israeli authorities have “failed to take even the bare minimum steps to comply” with the ICJ ruling issued on January 26.

Both Amnesty and HRW asserted on Monday that the number of aid trucks entering Gaza has decreased by approximately one-third since the court’s ruling. This ruling came as part of a case brought by South Africa, accusing Israel of breaching the UN Genocide Convention.

Omar Shakir, HRW’s Israel and Palestine director, stated, “The Israeli government is starving” Gaza’s 2.4 million Palestinians, putting them in even more peril than before the World Court’s binding order. Shakir further pointed out that Israel has ignored the court’s ruling and, in some aspects, intensified its repression, including blocking life-saving aid.

While ICJ rulings are legally binding, the court lacks an enforcement mechanism. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) reported a “50 percent reduction” in humanitarian aid entering Gaza during February compared to January.

These remarks arise as Israel gears up for a potential ground invasion of Rafah in southern Gaza. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres mentioned on Monday that such an invasion would “put the final nail in the coffin” of aid operations.

In a separate, non-binding case, the UN has requested the ICJ to provide an “advisory opinion” on the “legal consequences arising from the policies and practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.”