The International Court of Justice said Wednesday that Israel was obliged to ease the passage of aid into Gaza, stressing it had to provide Palestinians with the "basic needs" to survive.

The wide-ranging ICJ ruling, quickly rejected by Israel, came as aid groups scrambled to scale up much-needed humanitarian assistance into Gaza, seizing upon a fragile ceasefire agreed earlier this month.

The ICJ's "Advisory Opinion" is not legally binding but the court believes it carries "great legal weight and moral authority".

ICJ President Yuji Iwasawa said Israel was "under an obligation to agree to and facilitate relief schemes provided by the United Nations and its entities".

That included UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, which Israel has banned after accusing some of its staff o

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