Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has issued a forceful condemnation of the United Nations and its Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), accusing both of enabling terrorism and systematically undermining Israel’s right to self-defence.

These statements came as the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague began hearings on Israel’s legal responsibilities regarding humanitarian aid to Gaza, with the UN and Palestinian representatives arguing that Israel’s blockade and ban on UNRWA operations violate international law and exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in the territory.

Sa’ar labeled the ICJ proceedings a “disgraceful” and politically motivated attempt to delegitimize Israel, declaring that Israel would not participate in what he called a “circus” and instead submitted a written defence.

He asserted that the focus should be on the UN and UNRWA, which he claimed had been deeply infiltrated by Hamas and other terrorist organizations. According to Sa’ar, over 1,400 UNRWA employees are known terrorists, with some, such as Mohammed Abu Itiwi-a Hamas commander-allegedly participating directly in the October 7 attacks on Israeli communities. Sa’ar cited video evidence of Abu Itiwi’s involvement in the murder and kidnapping of Israelis, emphasizing the gravity of these allegations.

The Israeli foreign minister further accused UN Secretary-General António Guterres of ignoring repeated Israeli warnings about UNRWA’s infiltration and failing to take action to prevent atrocities. Sa’ar charged that Guterres “knew very well what was going on in UNRWA” and “went out of his way to cover up the involvement,” thereby “whitewashing UNRWA’s crimes and the crimes of its terrorist employees”.

Sa’ar’s remarks also targeted the ICJ itself, questioning the impartiality of its proceedings by referencing Nawaf Salam, the Lebanese prime minister and former ICJ president, who had previously described Israel as an “enemy state.” Sa’ar argued that such bias undermined the legitimacy of the tribunal and called for the disqualification of prejudiced judges.

The Israeli government’s position is that UNRWA has become an extension of Hamas, facilitating the group’s activities under the guise of humanitarian work. This claim is supported by reports from watchdog organizations such as UN Watch, which allege that a significant portion of UNRWA’s senior staff in Gaza are affiliated with Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and that the agency’s infrastructure has been used for military purposes. These allegations have led to calls within Israel to strip UNRWA of its authority in Gaza and to defund the agency entirely.

The context for these accusations is the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where Israel has blocked all aid deliveries since early March, demanding the release of hostages by Hamas as a precondition for resuming assistance. The ICJ hearings are expected to last a week, with dozens of countries presenting arguments, but a final ruling may take months and will be advisory rather than legally binding.

Foreign Minister Sa’ar’s statements reflect Israel’s deep mistrust of the UN and UNRWA, its rejection of the ICJ’s proceedings as biased and politicized, and its insistence that the real enablers of terrorism are those international bodies that, in Israel’s view, have failed to prevent their agencies from being used by militant groups.

ANI