A Palestinian diplomat has told the United Nations’ top court that Israel is killing and displacing civilians and targeting aid workers in Gaza in a “man-made catastrophe of unprecedented proportions.

The UN's top court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), has begun hearings for an opinion on whether Israel must co-operate with the UN's Palestinian refugee agency - Unrwa - after it severed ties with it last year after accusing it of colluding with Hamas.

Israel is refusing to participate in a hearing on Monday before a top United Nations court in The Hague over the entry of aid to the Gaza Strip, accusing the UN of an anti-Israel bias and of employing thousands of Hamas terrorists.