During hearings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), a US official expressed serious concerns regarding the impartiality of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA). Josh Simmons from the US state department's legal team emphasized that Israel has legitimate grounds to question UNRWA's neutrality, particularly citing instances of Hamas allegedly using UNRWA facilities. The ICJ judges are conducting these hearings to develop an advisory opinion on Israel's responsibilities toward UN agencies aiding Palestinians in Gaza amid these tensions.
Josh Simmons from the US state department legal team stated, ‘Israel has ample grounds to question Unrwa's impartiality. Given these concerns, it is clear that Israel has no obligation to permit Unrwa specifically to provide humanitarian assistance.’
Concerns raised during the ICJ hearing included allegations that Hamas has utilized Unrwa facilities and that some Unrwa staff participated in the October 7 terrorist attacks against Israel.
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