Israel’s obligations to provide humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank are also the subject of a weeklong hearing at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), following a request for an advisory opinion from the UN General Assembly last year.
In the fourth day of hearings on Thursday, Qatar’s ambassador to the Netherlands, Mutlaq al-Qahtani, told the court Israel has continued its “genocidal war against the Palestinian people” and increased settlement efforts in the occupied West Bank.
Palestinians in Gaza continue to face “famine-like conditions” as Israel continues to block “any delivery of life-saving aid”, said Mutlaq al-Qahtani.
Israel has jeopardised the existence of the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, which is the “backbone” of humanitarian and development assistance in the occupied territory, added the Qatari diplomat.
