On a visit to Israel, the US vice-president said Washington would not set a deadline for the group to disarm under the US-brokered deal
The top United Nations court is set to give an opinion on Wednesday on Israel’s legal obligations to ensure desperately needed humanitarian aid reaches Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, the Associated Press (AP) reports.
The UN general assembly asked the international court of justice last year to give an advisory opinion on Israel’s legal obligations after the country effectively banned the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, the main provider of aid to Gaza, from operating in the territory.
Advisory opinions carry significant legal weight and experts say the case could have broader ramifications for the UN and its missions worldwide.
The proceedings predate the current fragile US-brokered Gaza ceasefire agreement, which took effect on 10 October. Under the agreement, 600 humanitarian aid trucks are to be allowed to enter daily.
The UN has announced plans to ramp up aid shipments into Gaza. On Monday, Hamas chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya told Egypt’s Al-Qahera News that Israel has complied with aid deliveries per the ceasefire agreement.
During the hearings in April, Palestinian ambassador to the Netherlands Ammar Hijazi told the 15-judge panel that Israel was “starving, killing and displacing Palestinians while also targeting and blocking humanitarian organisations trying to save their lives.”
Israel denied it violated international law, saying the proceedings are biased, and did not attend the hearings. However, the country provided a 38-page written submission for the court to consider.