UN chief warns of referring Israel to International Court of Justice over UNRWA

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned Israel that he may refer it to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) if it does not repeal laws targeting the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) and return assets and property seized from the agency.

In a letter dated 8 January 2026 to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Guterres said the United Nations cannot remain indifferent to “the measures taken by Israel, which are in direct contradiction with its obligations under international law. They must be reversed without delay”.

The Israeli parliament (the Knesset) passed a law in October 2024 banning UNRWA from operating in Israel and prohibiting Israeli officials from having contact with the agency. The law was amended last month to ban the supply of electricity or water to UNRWA facilities.

Israeli authorities also seized UNRWA premises in East Jerusalem last month. The United Nations considers East Jerusalem to be occupied by Israel, while Israel regards the entire city as part of its territory.

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, dismissed Guterres’s letter to Netanyahu on Tuesday.

Danon said: We are not troubled by the secretary-general’s threats, adding: “Instead of addressing the serious issue of UNRWA employees being involved in terrorism, he is trying to whitewash crimes committed by UNRWA, which acts as a subsidiary of Hamas.”

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