UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hopes that Israel will abide by the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) concerning Israel's responsibilities in the occupied Palestinian territory, a UN spokesperson said Wednesday.

Guterres "added that the decision comes at a moment in which we are doing everything we can to boost our humanitarian aid in Gaza, and so the advisory opinion is decisive in order for us to deal with the tragic situation in which the people of Gaza still live," Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the UN chief, told a daily briefing.

Earlier on Wednesday, The Hague-based ICJ affirmed that Israel is obligated to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza, including assistance provided by UN agencies.

"The State of Israel, as an occupying Power, is required to fulfill its obligations under international humanitarian law," the court said in its legally non-binding advisory opinion.

The advisory opinion stems from a December 2024 request by the UN General Assembly, which asked the world court to clarify Israel's duties as an occupying power under international law and its responsibilities in ensuring unhindered humanitarian access and supporting UN operations and other humanitarian actors in the Palestinian territories. ■