The Arab Council submitted a complaint to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (The Hague, Netherlands) on October 24, 2023.
Based in Geneva, the Arab Council Foundation called for a fair and effective investigation into the crimes committed by Israel in Gaza in its complaint and emphasized the crime of genocide.
To the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court,
By the 17-page complaint submitted to you, the key points highlighted are as follows:
1- Israel continues to commit the most severe crimes against civilians in Gaza, particularly since the declaration of war on the Gaza Strip, which has been under Israeli occupation since 1967.
2- In a retaliatory move, Israel responded to Hamas’ attacks on military and civilian targets with an all-out military offensive on the Gaza Strip on the same day, which was the most violent to date. The objective of this offensive, as stated by numerous decision-makers and military leaders in Israel, was to obliterate the region and turn it into ruins. The ongoing aggressive war on the Gaza Strip, primarily characterized by aerial bombardments for the past 16 days, has resulted in the deaths of 4,652 individuals, including 1,873 children and 1,101 women. Additionally, 12,245 people have been injured, including 4,604 children and 3,630 women. It has also led to the destruction of 574 families’ homes. Furthermore, the intense aerial bombardment targeted 25 medical facilities, resulting in 49 deaths of doctors, nurses, and medical staff.”
3. Retaliatory statements against Gaza and its residents.
4. Deprivation of the people in Gaza of water, food, and electricity.
5. The plan to ethnically cleanse Gaza of its Palestinian inhabitants and transfer them to Egypt.
6. Statements by Israeli leaders and officials regarding the destruction of Gaza.
7. The Israeli military uses indiscriminate and disproportionate force in densely populated residential areas in the Gaza Strip.
8. The circumstances surrounding the Israeli occupying army’s commission of a new massacre on the evening of 17/10/2023 during its war on Gaza, involving the aerial bombardment of Al-Muadhami Hospital in Gaza.
9. as the occupying authority, Israel has continued its unlawful occupation and aggression on Palestinian land for 56 years. It enforces a system of colonial apartheid and settlement to subjugate the Palestinian population and force them into displacement. This comes after annexing Jerusalem and vast areas of Palestinian territory, including the West Bank’s “Area C.” In Gaza, the blockade and suffocating closure imposed by Israel for the past 16 years have been condemned, causing severe damage to the local economy and infrastructure constituting an unlawful collective punishment.
According to Articles 6, 15.1, and 53.1 of the Statute, the undersigned organization submits a complaint regarding the crimes of genocide and population transfer concerning the ongoing events in the Palestinian territories of Gaza.
These criminal acts committed by the Israeli military constitute prohibited collective punishment under international law as they target innocent Palestinian civilians due to prior actions attributed to Hamas. Deliberate killings and collective punishment violate the Fourth Geneva Convention. By failing to halt the current attack on Gaza, third-party states are also in breach of their commitment to respect and ensure respect for international humanitarian law, contributing to the support and perpetuation of an aggressive war on Gaza, depriving the Palestinian people of their collective right to self-determination, ending the Israeli occupation, and dismantling the colonial settlement rule to achieve independence.
The Arab Council strongly condemns the ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza, the indiscriminate massacres against civilians, and the wide-scale and systematic destruction of civilian infrastructure, which may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity and could even rise to genocide. The Council also warns against the Israeli military’s continued intensive and indiscriminate attacks on densely populated areas in Gaza, coupled with the complete blockade and the cutting of essential supplies such as electricity, water, food, and medicine to Gaza. These actions represent severe violations of the right to health and life for nearly 2.2 million people living in the Gaza Strip.
The Arab Council calls upon the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Mr. Karim Khan, to:
1 – Conduct an effective and impartial investigation into Israeli crimes under the Rome Statute, especially the indiscriminate targeting of civilian homes resulting in the deaths of over 4,000 civilians, mostly children and women, and the injury of more than 12,000 people, including the killing of entire families. Pursue and hold accountable every individual who carried out or ordered such crimes.
2 – Hold Israel accountable for its violations of international law and collective punishment against civilians, including through its unconditional and open support for the current investigation conducted by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.
3 – Maintain the readiness of the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in anticipation of the Israeli authorities’ intent to continue inciting the Israeli occupation forces and all Israeli security agencies to commit the worst international crimes against civilians, including incitement to commit acts of genocide against Palestinians.
Arab Council Foundation
Geneva
