A Palestinian diplomat has told the United Nations’ top court that Israel is killing and displacing civilians and targeting aid workers in Gaza in a case that Israel criticized as part of its “systematic persecution and delegitimization.

A top Palestinian official told the International Court of Justice Monday that Israel was blocking humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza as a "weapon of war", at the start of a week of hearings at the UN's top court.

The United Nations’ highest court is opening hearings into Israel’s obligation to provide urgently needed humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians