January 14, 2026 | 07:09 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has formally warned Israel that he may refer the country to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) if it fails to repeal legislation targeting UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, and return seized assets and properties.
In a letter dated January 8 addressed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as reported by Al Arabiya on Tuesday, Guterres asserted that the UN cannot remain indifferent to "actions taken by Israel, which are in direct contravention of the obligations of Israel under international law. They must be reversed without delay."
The Israeli parliament passed legislation in October 2024 prohibiting UNRWA from operating within occupied territories, including East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza, while also barring Israeli officials from engaging with the agency. Last month, the law was further amended to prohibit the provision of electricity and water to UNRWA facilities.
Israeli authorities also moved to seize UNRWA’s office in East Jerusalem last month. While the United Nations considers East Jerusalem to be Israeli-occupied territory and the rightful capital of a Palestinian state, the Israeli government maintains that the entirety of Jerusalem falls under its sovereignty.
Israel's Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, refused on Tuesday to hand Guterres’ letter over to Netanyahu. "We are not fazed by the Secretary-General’s threats," Danon stated. "Instead of dealing with the undeniable involvement of UNRWA personnel in terrorism, the Secretary-General chooses to threaten Israel. This is not defending international law, this is defending an organization marred by terrorism."
UNRWA and Gaza
Israel has long leveled accusations against UNRWA, an agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 in the wake of the hostilities surrounding Israel's founding. The organization provides critical aid, healthcare, and education to millions of Palestinian refugees across Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan.
The UN previously confirmed that nine UNRWA staff members may have been involved in the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, and subsequently dismissed them. Additionally, a Hamas commander in Lebanon, killed by Israeli forces in September, was identified as a former UNRWA employee.
The UN has pledged to investigate all such allegations and has repeatedly requested evidence from Israel to support its claims; however, the UN maintains that such evidence has yet to be provided.
In November, as reported by Arab News, authorities in Gaza stated that more than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed since the onset of the conflict two years ago, which they characterize as genocide. UN data indicates that the vast majority of casualties are women and children, and nearly 80 percent of buildings in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged by relentless air and ground strikes.
On January 1, 2026, Israel suspended access for 37 international aid agencies to the Gaza Strip, a move the UN labeled as "outrageous." Senior UN officials and the Security Council continue to describe UNRWA as the backbone of the humanitarian response in Gaza, where the two-year genocide has triggered a catastrophic disaster.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the UN's highest legal body, issued an advisory opinion in October stating that Israel, as an occupying power, is legally obligated to ensure the basic needs of the civilian population in the occupied Gaza Strip are met. While the ICJ's advisory opinions carry significant legal and political weight, they are not binding, and the court possesses no direct enforcement mechanisms.
Read: Israel Opens Fire on Spanish UN Peacekeepers in Lebanon
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