LONDON
\nLawyers representing the UK government have told the UN\u2019s top court that Israel must allow aid supplies back into Gaza.
\nSpeaking at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Sally Langrish, legal advisor to the UK\u2019s Foreign Office, said Israel must also give the International Committee of the Red Cross access to Palestinian prisoners and insisted that the UN\u2019s agency for Palestinian refugees was impartial.
\nHer comments on Thursday were made on the fourth day of hearings at the ICJ, which was asked last year by the UN General Assembly to give an advisory opinion on Israel\u2019s legal obligations on the operations of UN agencies and international organizations in the occupied Palestinian territories.
\nThe hearings, which finish on Friday, have centered around Israel\u2019s cutting off of aid supplies to Gaza and come amid dire warnings about the collapse of emergency food and water supplies to Palestinians.
\n\u201cIsrael must facilitate full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian provision to the population of Gaza, including food, water and electricity, and must ensure access to medical care in accordance with international humanitarian law,\u201d Langrish told the court.
\nDavid Lammy, the UK\u2019s foreign secretary, this week said Israel\u2019s decision to block aid deliveries to Gaza was a \u201chorrendous\u201d decision that was causing dire suffering.
\nOn Friday, the Red Cross warned that aid operations in Gaza were on the \u201cverge of total collapse,\u201d describing scenes of starving children and fights over water.
\nThe stating of the UK\u2019s legal position at the ICJ also came as the British government confirmed it was in talks with France and Saudi Arabia over officially recognizing the Palestinian state.
\nSpain, Norway and Ireland recently added themselves to the 160 countries that already recognize Palestine.
\nThe UK was among the 137 countries to vote in favor of the UN General Assembly resolution in December to request the ICJ opinion. The US and 10 other nations voted against and 22 abstained.
\nThe resolution was in response to Israel passing a law that effectively banned the main UN organization delivering aid to Palestinians, UNRWA, from operating in Gaza and the West Bank.
\nIsrael claims that workers at the agency took part in the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023 that sparked Israel\u2019s devastating military campaign in Gaza.
\nLangrish said the allegations of any UNRWA staff involvement in the \u201cbarbaric\u201d Hamas attack must be thoroughly investigated. But she said the UK \u201csupports UNRWA\u2019s continued work and commitment to the principle of neutrality.\u201d
\nShe also highlighted Israel\u2019s obligations under international law to allowing the Red Cross access to Palestinian prisoners.
\nLangrish said there had been \u201ccredible reports of ill-treatment of Palestinian detainees held in Israeli custody\u201d since the war started and that Red Cross access was aimed at ensuring they are treated humanely.
\nThat Hamas had also not allowed Red Cross access to the hostages held in Gaza was also \u201ccompletely unacceptable,\u201d she said, but added that this could not be used to justify Israel denying Red Cross access to Palestinian detainees since.
\nThe ICJ\u2019s opinion is expected to take months to be delivered.
\nAt least 42 people were killed in Gaza on Friday, AFP reported, with the number of Palestinians killed in the conflict now more than 52,000. The Hamas attack in October 2023 killed 1,218 people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LONDON Lawyers representing the UK government have told the UN\u2019s top court that Israel must allow aid supplies back into Gaza. Speaking at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Sally Langrish, legal advisor to the UK\u2019s Foreign Office, said Israel must also give the International Committee of the Red Cross access to Palestinian […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":385030,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-476290","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n