LOC19:52
16:52 GMT
BRUSSELS, Oct 22 (KUNA) -- The International Court of Justice (ICJ) affirmed on Wednesday that the Israeli occupation is obliged to ensure the main needs of Gazans.
The Israeli occupation must facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid including the one provided by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), ICJ President Yuji Iwasawa said in a statement.
Reading out the ICJ advisory opinion, Iwasawa stated that the court reminded the Israeli occupation of its commitments not to use starvation as a weapon against civilians in the Gaza Strip.
He noted that international humanitarian law categorically prohibits preventing aid or using starvation as a means of fighting.
The Israeli occupation is obliged to facilitate relief plans provided by the UNRWA. He noted that the UNRWA is the main UN agency working in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The size and pace of required aid for Gazans need the continuation of UNRWA's role, he elaborated.
He underlined the legal responsibility of the occupation toward Gazans, in accordance with the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law.
Gaza's humanitarian crisis constitutes a direct danger to the living conditions of Palestinian people, thus threatening main terms to help them practice their self-determination, he said.
The mandate of UNRWA mission is directly related to the essential aspect of Palestinians' right to self-determination, the court said.
Last December, the UN General Assembly asked the ICJ for an advisory opinion to determine Israeli occupation commitment toward the UN and humanitarian organizations working in the occupied Palestinian lands, mainly in Gaza and the West Bank. (end)
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