Norway announced Wednesday that it will propose a UN General Assembly resolution demanding that Israel lift restrictions on aid to Gaza, following a ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), AFP reports.
The Scandinavian country had previously initiated the UN resolution requesting an advisory opinion from the ICJ regarding Israel’s obligations. On Wednesday, the court ruled that Israel is obligated under international law to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, including through UNRWA, despite its ties to Hamas.
“Norway intends to follow up on this (ICJ) decision with a new resolution at the UN General Assembly,” Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said at a press conference, as quoted by AFP.
“No country can place itself above its obligations under international law. This is essential, both for Palestinians and for all other populations living in situations of war and conflict,” he added.
Norway’s Foreign Ministry later clarified that the resolution would be submitted jointly with several other countries to support the ICJ’s ruling and ensure its advisory opinion is translated into action.
ICJ President Yuji Iwasawa stated in Wednesday’s ruling, “The court finds that Israel has not substantiated its allegations that a significant part of UNRWA’s employees are ‘members of Hamas… or other terrorist factions."
Iwasawa also said that Israel failed to provide sufficient evidence that a significant number of Hamas terrorists were employed by UNRWA. “The court finds that Israel has not substantiated its allegations that a significant part of UNRWA’s employees are ‘members of Hamas… or other terrorist factions," he said.
UNRWA has long been criticized for its cooperation with Hamas. That criticism has increased since Israel revealed in 2024 that UNRWA staff participated in the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks.
It then presented a dossier showing that the UNRWA workers who participated in the Hamas massacre kidnapped a woman, handed out ammunition and actively took part in the massacre at Kibbutz Be’eri, where 97 people were murdered.
Following the Israeli revelations, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced the creation of a review group, headed by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, to look into the Israeli allegations.
The group, which released its report last April, said it found neutrality-related issues" in UNRWA but also claimed that Israel had yet to provide evidence for allegations that a significant number of its staff were members of terrorist organizations.
Emily Damari, a former Hamas hostage who was freed after 470 days in captivity, said that she was held at an UNRWA facility while in captivity.
In April of this year, USAID revealed that the United Nations obstructed an investigation by the American government into the ties between UNRWA employees in Gaza and the Hamas terrorist organization.