The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is set to issue a landmark ruling on Wednesday on whether Israel’s prolonged blockade on humanitarian aid to the besieged Gaza Strip constitutes a violation of international law and the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people.

The world’s highest judicial body, based in The Hague, will also examine Israel’s repeated attacks on United Nations personnel and humanitarian facilities in Gaza—acts that have drawn global outrage and been widely condemned as war crimes.

Requested by the United Nations General Assembly, the advisory opinion is expected to clarify Israel’s legal obligations toward the delivery of humanitarian aid and its cooperation with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), whose operations have been severely restricted by Israeli authorities since the war began.

Israel denies all accusations, claiming without evidence that the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas intercepted or resold aid. These claims have been echoed by the United States, which continues to shield Israel diplomatically despite mounting international criticism.

Humanitarian agencies, however, have consistently warned that Israel’s blockade amounts to collective punishment, strangling Gaza’s 2.3 million residents and deepening one of the worst humanitarian crises in modern history. Food, water, fuel, and medical supplies have been deliberately withheld, pushing the enclave to the brink of famine.

While the ICJ’s decision is expected to be advisory and non-binding, legal experts believe it could intensify international pressure on Israel to lift its blockade and comply with humanitarian law. It may also pave the way for future accountability mechanisms, including sanctions and investigations by other international courts.

This marks the third major ICJ ruling on Israeli conduct since the Gaza war erupted on October 7, 2023.

In July 2023, the court declared Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestinian territories to be illegal. Then, on January 25, 2024, it issued emergency measures in the genocide case filed by South Africa, ordering Israel to take all necessary steps to prevent genocidal acts, facilitate humanitarian aid delivery, and halt incitement to genocide.

Despite these rulings, Israel has continued its military campaign in Gaza with impunity, defying international law and blocking lifesaving aid from reaching civilians.

The ICJ, often described as the “world’s conscience,” does not possess enforcement powers. Yet its moral authority remains significant, and Wednesday’s ruling could mark a turning point in the global legal struggle for Palestinian justice and the end of Israel’s unlawful siege.

As Gaza’s children continue to die from hunger and disease caused by deliberate deprivation, the world now looks to The Hague—hoping that, at last, international law will be used not as a shield for power, but as a voice for the oppressed. (ILKHA)