The Hague, Netherlands - 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 ICJ is hearing dozens of nations and organizations to draw up an advisory opinion on Israel's humanitarian obligations to Palestinians, more than 50 days into its total blockade on aid entering Gaza – and over a year and a half into its horrific assault on the territory.

Israel is not participating in proceedings and has baselessly accused the court itself of being antisemitic.

Top Palestinian official Ammar Hijazi told judges that "all UN-supported bakeries in Gaza have been forced to shut their doors."

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"Nine of every 10 Palestinians have no access to safe drinking water. Storage facilities of the UN and other international agencies are empty," he added.

"These are the facts. Starvation is here. Humanitarian aid is being used as a weapon of war."

In December, the UN's General Assembly asked the ICJ for an advisory opinion to clarify Israel's legal duties towards the UN and its agencies, international organizations, or third-party states to "ensure and facilitate the unhindered provision of urgently needed supplies essential to the survival of the Palestinian civilian population".

Israel strictly controls all inflows of international aid vital for the more than two million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

It halted all aid deliveries to Gaza on March 2, unilaterally reneging on a ceasefire deal with Hamas and freely admitting to using vital supplies for the entire civilian population to put "pressure" on Palestinian resistance movements.

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Supplies are dwindling and the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) on Friday said it had sent out its "last remaining food stocks" to kitchens.

AFP footage from a community kitchen in Gaza City shows scores of boys and girls crowded outside the facility, pushing their pots and pans forward in a desperate attempt to secure whatever food they can.

Although the ICJ's advisory opinions are not legally binding, the court believes they "carry great legal weight and moral authority".

Palestinian envoy to the UN Riyad Mansour told reporters the Palestinians were building an international law case against Israel "block on top of another block".

"We are very confident that after this horrific tragedy of our people, especially in the Gaza Strip, the arc of justice is bending toward Palestine, toward accomplishing our objectives."

Israel faces a historic genocide case launched by Africa at the ICJ, amid a growing consensus that the myriad atrocities it has committed in Gaza meet the legal definition of the crime.