In today’s newsletter: With most border crossings remaining closed and aid deliveries falling catastrophically short, will the International Court of Justice’s ruling force change for those left behind?
Good morning. In the end, the ruling was both simple and obvious: Israel is the occupying power in Gaza, the West Bank (including East Jerusalem), and is therefore obligated to ensure the basic needs of the population are met.
That was the verdict in the latest international court of justice case between Israel and Palestine, which also examined Israel’s decision to bar the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) from operating in the occupied territories. The world’s top court found that Israel had failed to provide evidence for its claims that UNRWA lacked neutrality, or that a significant number of its employees were members of Hamas or other armed groups.
Energy | Ministers are considering dropping one of their central green pledges in an effort to keep energy bills down, sources have told the Guardian.
UK news | Keir Starmer’s grooming gangs inquiry has descended into fresh turmoil after the only remaining candidate to be its chair blamed “political opportunism” and “a lack of trust” for his withdrawal as an applicant.
Schools | One in 12 secondary pupils report being put into school isolation rooms at least once a week where they often spend in excess of eight hours, missing more than a full day of lessons, according to research.
Immigration and asylum | A man sent back to France under the “one in, one out” scheme has returned to the UK on a small boat, the Guardian has learned. The man is being held in a UK immigration detention centre and claims to be a victim of modern slavery.
Ukraine war | The US has sanctioned Rosneft and Lukoil, Russia’s two largest oil companies, as the Trump administration increased pressure on the Kremlin to negotiate an end to its war against Ukraine.
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