The International Court of Justice will begin on Monday a week of hearings dedicated to Israel’s humanitarian obligations towards the Palestinians. This comes after more than 50 days of Israel imposing a total blockade on aid entering the war-torn Gaza Strip.

United Nations representatives will start a marathon that lasts five days at the International Court of Justice, the highest court of the United Nations in The Hague, Netherlands, at 10 a.m. local time (08:00 GMT), before a panel of 15 judges.

Palestine will be the first to present its arguments on this day.

38 Legal SubmissionsThis week, 38 other countries will present their arguments, including the United States, China, France, Russia, Saudi Arabia, as well as the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the African Union.

In December, the United Nations General Assembly, by a large majority, adopted a resolution presented by Norway asking the International Court of Justice to issue an advisory opinion.The resolution calls for the Court to clarify what Israel must do regarding the presence of the United Nations, its agencies, international organizations, or third countries “to ensure and facilitate the urgent delivery of essential supplies for the survival of Palestinian civilians without obstacles.”

Israel controls all international aid flows that are vital for the survival of 2.4 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which is suffering from an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.Israel cut off this aid on March 2, just days before a fragile ceasefire collapsed after 15 months of continuous fighting.

“Man-Made Famine”The UN Commissioner-General for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, condemned on Friday the "man-made famine driven by political motives."According to the United Nations, about 500,000 Palestinians have been displaced since the end of the two-month ceasefire.Israel resumed air and ground attacks on March 18, resulting in what the UN described as “perhaps the worst” humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip since the war began following Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.While advisory opinions of the International Court of Justice are not legally binding, this advisory opinion could increase diplomatic pressure on Israel.

In January 2024, the International Court of Justice urged Israel to prevent any potential acts of genocide and to allow the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.In March 2024, following a request by South Africa, which accuses Israel of genocide, the Court called for new Israeli measures to address the "famine" spreading in the Palestinian enclave.

“Frustration”Haris Horimajic, a PhD student at the Graduate Institute in Geneva, said that “the parties involved in the conflict have shown little commitment to respecting international law.”He added, “The request for an advisory opinion reflects widespread frustration at the lack of meaningful dialogue to address the catastrophic situation in Gaza.”

The International Court of Justice had issued an advisory opinion in July 2023, in which it considered Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories “illegal” and called for it to end as soon as possible.

The October 7 attack resulted in 1,218 Israeli casualties, most of them civilians, according to official Israeli figures cited by AFP.Since then, Israeli military retaliatory operations have led to the death of at least 52,243 people in Gaza, most of whom were civilians, according to Gaza's Ministry of Health, which the UN considers reliable.At least 2,111 Palestinians have been killed since March 18.

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