22 October 2025

From Philippe Lazzarini, the ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA Commissioner-General as posted on his official X account (previously known as Twitter)

I welcome the unambiguous ruling by the International Court of Justice today stating that:

  • Israel is under an obligation to agree to and facilitate relief schemes provided by the United Nations and its entities, in particular ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA.
  • Israel¡¯s claim that ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA is infiltrated by Hamas was not substantiated, nor were allegations that ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA is not a neutral organisation.
  • There must be accountability for the killing of ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA staff members, for the severe mistreatment of humanitarian staff in detention and for the destruction, damage and misuse of ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA facilities.
  • ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA is the key humanitarian actor with a ¡°unique and sustained connection¡± to the occupied Palestinian territories, whose operations must be facilitated rather than obstructed ¡ª particularly given the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza.
  • Providing every assistance to ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA¡¯s mandated operations and activities in good faith is part of Israel¡¯s legal obligations as a ±¬ÁÏÍø Member State.

With huge amounts of food and other life-saving supplies on standby in Egypt and Jordan, ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA has the resources and expertise to immediately scale up the humanitarian response in Gaza and help alleviate the suffering of the civilian population.

To learn more about all ICJ cases related to the question of Palestine, click here to visit the dedicated webpage.

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