<b>Live updates: Follow the latest on</b><a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2024/11/19/live-israel-gaza-aid-trucks-un/" target="_blank"><b> Israel-Gaza</b></a> The <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/unrwa/" target="_blank">UN agency for Palestinian refugees</a> welcomed the support shown by member states for a resolution to seek the International Court of Justice's opinion on <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/israel/" target="_blank">Israel</a>'s obligation to enable the delivery of aid to <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/gaza/" target="_blank">Gaza</a>, saying international pressure was essential to ensure that humanitarian assistance reached all residents of the war-battered enclave. The UN General Assembly adopted the <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/us/2024/12/19/un-general-assembly-seeks-icj-opinion-on-israels-obligations-with-palestinian-aid/" target="_blank">resolution</a> on Thursday with 137 out of 193 member states voting in favour. Israel, the <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/us" target="_blank">US</a> and 10 other countries voted against the resolution, while 22 abstained. “This is a welcome step and demonstrates clear solidarity from the overwhelming majority of UN member states that stand with Palestine refugees," Inas Hamdan, Gaza's acting public information officer at UNRWA, told <i>The National</i>. The <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/2024/01/26/icj-orders-israel-to-take-steps-to-prevent-genocidal-acts-in-gaza/" target="_blank">ICJ</a> is the UN's highest court and although its advisory opinions are not binding, they carry legal and political weight. The Hague-based court has no enforcement powers if its opinions are ignored. “Life in Gaza has become unbearable, and its residents are in dire need of everything. Therefore, continued pressure is essential to ensure the flow of necessary humanitarian aid, and international law must be respected without exception,” Ms Hamdan said. Despite the UN warning of "imminent famine" in Gaza after 14 months of war, the flow of aid has reached an all-time low, she said. "In September, we were unable to deliver food supplies to one million people, and in October, 1.4 million people were left without access to food aid. In November, the situation worsened, with 1.7 million individuals unable to receive food supplies," she said. Nearly two million Gazans – almost the entire population – have been displaced by the war and rely solely on aid provided by UNRWA and other organisations, making Israel's decision to ban the agency's operations a life-threatening one. “There has been a severe flour crisis for several weeks. What little enters Gaza is distributed immediately, but the insufficient quantities create an ongoing shortage," she said. The shortage accompanied with the increase in prices prevents Gazans from gaining access to sufficient food. “The commercial sector is nearly collapsed, with limited availability of fresh vegetables or meat. When these items are available, they are sold at exorbitantly high prices," Ms Hamdan said. The vote came after the <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/us/2024/11/13/israels-unrwa-ban-will-have-catastrophic-consequences-agency-head-warns/" target="_blank">Israeli government's recent decision</a> to ban <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2024/12/02/unrwa-suspends-aid-delivery-to-gaza-after-lorries-looted-at-gunpoint/" target="_blank">UNRWA</a> from operating in the country from the end of January. The decision does not ban UNRWA from Gaza and the occupied West Bank but it does affect its ability to carry out its work there. "UNRWA has received immense support over the last 14 months in recognition of its lifesaving role in Gaza," Tamara Al Rifai, the UN agency's head of communications, told <i>The National</i>. Although the ICJ's opinions are non-binding, "they sure indicate a global position by member states, and in the case of UNRWA, a global understanding that, until there is a political solution that puts an end to the status of Palestine refugees, UNRWA is the UN agency that runs schools, health centres and other public-like services in the region," Ms Al Rifai said.