Israeli war crimes

Ambulance destroyed in the neighborhood of Shuja'iyya in Gaza City during the 2014 Gaza War

Israeli war crimes are violations of international criminal law, including war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of genocide, which Israeli security forces have committed or been accused of committing since the founding of Israel in 1948. These have included murder, intentional targeting of civilians, killing prisoners of war and surrendered combatants, indiscriminate attacks, collective punishment, starvation, persecution, the use of human shields, sexual violence and rape, torture, pillage, forced transfer, breach of medical neutrality, targeting journalists, attacking civilian and protected objects, wanton destruction, incitement to genocide, and genocide.

Israel ratified the Geneva Conventions on 6 July 1951,[1] and on 2 January 2015 the State of Palestine acceded to the Rome Statute, granting the International Criminal Court (ICC) jurisdiction over war crimes committed in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT).[2] Human rights experts argue that actions taken by the IDF during armed conflicts in the OPT fall under the rubric of war crimes.[3] Special rapporteurs from the United Nations, organizations including Human Rights Watch, Médecins Sans Frontières, Amnesty International, and human rights experts have accused Israel of war crimes.[4][5][6][7][8]

Since 2006, the Human Rights Council has mandated several fact finding missions into violations of international law, including war crimes, in the OPT, and in May 2021 established a permanent, ongoing inquiry.[9][10] Since 2021, the ICC has had an active investigation into Israeli war crimes committed in the OPT.[11][12] Israel has refused to cooperate with the investigations.[13][14] In December 2023, South Africa invoked the 1948 Genocide Convention and charged Israel with war crimes and acts of genocide committed in the occupied Palestinian Territories and Gaza Strip.[15][16][17] The case, referred to as South Africa v. Israel, was set to be heard at the International Court of Justice (ICJ),[18][19] and South Africa presented its case to the court on 10 January.[20] In March 2024, the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the OPT found there were "reasonable grounds to believe that the threshold indicating the commission" of acts of genocide had been met.[21] In November 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant for the war crimes of starvation as a method of warfare and intentially directing attacks against civilians, and for the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.[22]

  1. ^ "The Obligations of Israel and the Palestinian Authority Under International Law". Human Rights Watch. Archived from the original on 13 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  2. ^ "Accountability for International Crimes in Palestine". ccrjustice.org. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  3. ^ "Israel and Occupied Palestinian Territories". Amnesty International. Archived from the original on 11 October 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  4. ^ "Gaza: Apparent War Crimes During May Fighting". Human Rights Watch. 27 July 2021. Archived from the original on 11 April 2022. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  5. ^ "Indiscriminate violence and the collective punishment of Gaza must cease". msf.org. Médecins Sans Frontières. Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  6. ^ "Israel May Have Committed War Crimes in Jenin Operation, UN Palestinian Rights Official Says". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 7 July 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  7. ^ "Israel/OPT: Investigate war crimes during August offensive on Gaza". Amnesty International. 25 October 2022. Archived from the original on 19 October 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  8. ^ "Israeli Settlements Should be Classified as War Crimes, Says Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in OPT". United Nations. Archived from the original on 25 March 2022. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  9. ^ "Human Rights Council-mandated Investigative Bodies". OHCHR. Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  10. ^ "The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel". OHCHR. Archived from the original on 19 March 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  11. ^ "ICC opens 'war crimes' investigation in West Bank and Gaza". BBC News. 3 March 2021. Archived from the original on 31 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  12. ^ "ICC prosecutor says mandate applies to current Israel-Palestinian conflict". Reuters. 10 October 2023. Archived from the original on 12 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  13. ^ "Israel, citing 'bias,' won't cooperate with UN rights team". Associated Press. 17 February 2022. Archived from the original on 17 October 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  14. ^ "Israel 'will not co-operate' with ICC war crimes investigation". BBC. 9 April 2021. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  15. ^ Feleke, Bethlehem (29 December 2023). "South Africa files genocide case against Israel at International Court of Justice over Gaza war". CNN. Archived from the original on 3 October 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  16. ^ "Israel to defend itself at world court after South Africa files genocide accusations". PBS NewsHour. 2 January 2024. Archived from the original on 3 October 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  17. ^ "South Africa files ICJ case accusing Israel of 'genocidal acts'". BBC. 29 December 2023. Archived from the original on 3 October 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  18. ^ Roelf, Wendell; Sterling, Toby (29 December 2023). "South Africa files genocide case against Israel at World Court". Reuters. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  19. ^ "South Africa files case at ICJ accusing Israel of 'genocidal acts' in Gaza". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 8 January 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  20. ^ "Israel officials support Gaza destruction, court hears". BBC News. Archived from the original on 3 October 2024. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  21. ^ Albanese, Francesca (25 March 2024). "Anatomy of a Genocide". un.org. United Nations. Archived from the original on 3 October 2024. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  22. ^ Situation in the State of Palestine: ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I rejects the State of Israel's challenges to jurisdiction and issues warrants of arrest for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, International Criminal Court, 21 November 2024, Wikidata Q131299834, archived from the original on 21 November 2024