GAZA (Palestine Foundation Information Center) The Hamas Movement stated that it welcomes the convening of hearings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to discuss Israel’s obligations towards the Palestinian people besieged in the Gaza Strip.
In a statement issued Monday, Hamas stressed the importance of these deliberations as a step towards holding Israel accountable for its ongoing crimes in Gaza over the past 18 months.
The Movement praised the ICJ’s highlighting, through its proceedings, of the grave consequences of blocking humanitarian aid and exposing Israel’s use of starvation as a weapon of war against civilians—a documented crime requiring a firm international response.
Hamas emphasized the need to follow up on the Court’s previous decisions and measures, which Israel had deliberately ignored by continuing its acts of genocide, escalating its policies of siege and starvation, and targeting infrastructure and civilian life.
The Movement called on the international community to assume its responsibilities and take concrete steps to hold Israel accountable, stop its crimes, and uphold justice and international law.
For its part, the Islamic Jihad Movement criticized the ICJ’s decision to merely issue a non-binding advisory opinion on Israel’s humanitarian blockade of Gaza, suggesting that Israel’s criminal practices over the past 19 months should not be subject to legal debate.
Islamic Jihad said: “The Court should have immediately demanded that Israel respect its rulings and cease the policy of siege and starvation targeting innocent civilians.”
The Jihad Movement pointed out that these hearings come despite the Court’s earlier order, issued in the first months of the onslaught, instructing Israel to take immediate measures to prevent acts of genocide — an order Israel has flagrantly ignored.
Islamic Jihad stressed that obstructing the entry of food, medicine, and fuel constitutes a clear war crime under international law under all circumstances, noting that Israel itself does not deny using the blockade as a weapon to achieve political and military objectives.
The Movement reminded the ICJ that in November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Army Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of committing crimes against humanity through the starvation of civilians. It also noted that the Court recommended that governments should enforce these arrest warrants and criminalize any failure to comply.
Islamic Jihad added: “Legal procrastination will neither feed the hungry nor save a child. No value in justice that comes too late for the innocent.”
The Movement held all governments and institutions remaining silent over the Israeli crimes — particularly Arab and Islamic governments — responsible for the ongoing starvation of the people of Gaza, “following the enemy’s renunciation of all agreements and violation of all understandings, with blatant support from the US administration, which continues to encourage Israel by providing it with weapons, equipment, and political cover.”
The International Court of Justice in The Hague began its sessions this morning, Monday, in response to a request from the UN General Assembly for a non-binding advisory opinion regarding Israel’s use of starvation as a method of warfare in Gaza.
