The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, welcomed the clear and unequivocal ruling issued on Wednesday by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding the Gaza Strip, emphasizing that the decision firmly establishes a set of legal obligations on the Zionist entity regarding relief operations in occupied Palestine.
Lazzarini explained that the court’s ruling outlined key obligations, including obliging the Zionist entity to approve and facilitate humanitarian relief plans submitted by the United Nations (UN) and its agencies, particularly UNRWA, dismissing allegations of UNRWA being infiltrated or compromising its neutrality.
He emphasized that UNRWA is the main humanitarian actor with a unique and lasting connection to the occupied Palestinian territories, hence the need to facilitate its operations, rather than hindering them, particularly in light of the difficult humanitarian situation in Gaza.
He further affirmed that providing full support to UNRWA’s operations and activities in good faith constitutes a legal obligation of the Zionist entity as members of the UN. Lazzarini stated that substantial amounts of food and life-saving supplies are ready to be delivered to Gaza from Egypt and Jordan, affirming that UNRWA possesses the necessary resources and expertise to rapidly expand its humanitarian response and help ease the suffering of civilians.
The ICJ ruled on Wednesday that the Zionist entity, as the occupying power, is legally obligated to facilitate and ensure the safe passage of humanitarian relief efforts conducted by the UN and its agencies, including the UNRWA.
