By Dominick Skinner | 22 October 2025
The International Court of Justice just handed down another ruling on Israel, this time confirming what anyone with eyes and a conscience already knows. Israel is an occupying power in Gaza, it has deepened that occupation since October 2023, and it has been using starvation as a weapon of war while blocking humanitarian aid from entering the Gaza Strip.
The ruling came after the UN General Assembly asked the Court to clarify Israel’s obligations toward the United Nations, international organisations, and third states working in the occupied territories. The court declared that Israel must stop obstructing UN relief operations, must allow UNRWA to continue its work, must ensure the basic needs of the Palestinian population, and must stop attacking or restricting humanitarian and medical workers.
For once, the legal language was stripped of all ambiguity, probably a sign of just how far the reputation of Israel has fallen on the world stage. They have told the world that Israel’s so-called “security concerns” do not exempt it from international law, and that its blockade and manufactured aid system are illegal, full stop.
The ICJ ruled that:
• Israel remains an occupying power in Gaza and has increased its control since 2023.
• Israel must allow and facilitate humanitarian aid, including through UNRWA and other UN agencies.
• Israel cannot use starvation as a weapon of war.
• Israel must protect humanitarian and medical staff and facilities.
• Israel must allow the ICRC to visit detainees.
• Israel must stop any forcible transfer or deportation of civilians.
• Israel must cooperate in good faith with the UN and allow its operations to continue without obstruction.
• Israel must respect the privileges and immunities of UN staff, property, and premises.
• Israel must not interfere with or replace UN aid structures with its own systems.
• Israel must respect the right of Palestinians to self-determination.
International rulings mean nothing without enforcement, and Israel has built its entire strategy around that fact. For decades it has ignored the world’s top court, dismissed UN resolutions, and counted on its allies to block any real consequences.
The ICJ can define the law, but the law is only as strong as the governments willing to uphold it, and right now those governments are still arming, funding, and defending the same state found guilty of violating it. This is where accountability dies, not in The Hague, but in Washington, London, and every newsroom too scared to call occupation what it is.
The media’s responsibility now is not to “cover both sides” but to cover the truth, to say clearly that the starvation of civilians is not policy debate material. The ICJ has done its job. The next move belongs to the states and the press that keep pretending they didn’t hear.