The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is set to hear from 40 countries on what Israel must do to provide humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. The court has been asked to give an advisory opinion on Israel's legal obligations after it effectively banned the UN agency for Palestinian refugees from operating. Israel has disputed the shortage of aid in Gaza and argues that it is entitled to block aid because Hamas seizes it for its own use. The ICJ is an organ of the UN that adjudicates disputes between countries and can issue advisory opinions upon request. Last year, the court condemned Israel's rule over the occupied Palestinian territories and called for it to end.