United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel could face referral to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) if it does not repeal laws targeting the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) and return its seized assets and property. In a January 8 letter, Guterres stressed that Israel’s actions violate its obligations under international law and must be reversed immediately.
The warning follows Israel’s October 2024 law banning UNRWA from operating in Israel and prohibiting Israeli officials from contacting the agency. An amendment passed last month further restricted electricity and water to UNRWA facilities.
Israeli authorities also seized the agency’s offices in East Jerusalem, which the UN considers occupied territory. Guterres emphasized that UNRWA is “an integral part of the United Nations” and that Israel must respect the privileges and immunities of UN personnel and premises as outlined in the 1946 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the UN.
Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, dismissed Guterres’s letter, claiming the Secretary-General was defending an organization “marred by terrorism” instead of addressing alleged UNRWA personnel involvement in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks.
Israel has long sought the dissolution of UNRWA, which was established in 1949 to provide aid, health, and education to millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan.
The UN has fired nine staff members potentially involved in the attacks and promised to investigate all allegations.
Meanwhile, Israel’s war in Gaza has killed over 71,400 Palestinians, including 382 UNRWA employees, the highest UN casualty toll since 1945. UNRWA remains central to humanitarian relief in Gaza, sheltering over a million displaced civilians and providing critical aid.
In October 2025, the ICJ reaffirmed Israel’s obligation to respect UN privileges and ensure basic needs of Gaza’s civilian population are met.
While ICJ advisory opinions carry legal and political weight, they are nonbinding and lack enforcement power. Guterres’s letter underscores the UN’s commitment to defending its personnel and agencies while highlighting ongoing tensions between Israel and the international community over UNRWA’s operations.
