650 Chilean lawyers drag 'Israel' to ICC court for Gaza genocide
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The complainants are seeking an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and other officials involved in the aggression on Gaza, which has killed over 31,000 Palestinians.
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Palestinians mourn their relatives killed in the Israeli bombing of Gaza outside a morgue in Rafah. (AP)
Around 650 Chilean attorneys have filed a formal complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for perpetrating genocide in the besieged Gaza Strip.
In the case, "Israel" is accused of crimes against humanity, genocide, and war crimes against Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, including East al-Quds.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza reported today that the number of Palestinians killed by the Israeli occupation forces since October 7 has risen to 31,272, in addition to 73,024 injured.
The IOF committed 10 massacres against families in Gaza in 24 hours only, killing 88 Palestinians and injuring 135 others, it added.
The complainants are seeking an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and other officials involved in the aggression.
The attorneys noted the indiscriminate bombardment of Palestinians since October 7, as well as the demolition of residential communities without regard for people or fighters.
Nelson Haddad, a Chilean lawyer, said attorneys from different Latin American nations are likely to join the case, detailing that “all countries must denounce war criminals, ensuring they are held accountable, assume their responsibilities, face punishment according to the penalties of the Rome Statute, and provide reparations for victims."
Shawan Jabarin, Vice President of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), and Professor Rodolfo Marcone-Lo Presti of Chile are among the attorneys who filed the lawsuit.
In December 2023, about 100 Chilean attorneys filed a complaint with the ICC citing the same conviction.
On January 26, the International Court of Justice(ICJ) released a decision in which it admitted that there was a reasonable suspicion that "Israel" was violating its responsibilities under the Genocide Convention by conducting armed operations in Gaza from October 7, 2023.
Meanwhile, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor accused the ICC prosecutor of a "clear double standard" in dealing with "Israel's" atrocities against Palestinians in Gaza.
The Geneva-based group stated that Israeli crimes extend far beyond the destruction of civilian infrastructure and property.
Concurrently, a Rafah press source told Al Mayadeen that the IOF targeted a vehicle just outside the UNRWA gate at a time when dozens of Palestinians had crowded there.
Four were reportedly killed in the attack and several others were injured.
'Israel' not complying with ICJ orders: Ramaphosa
South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, confirmed on Monday that "Israel has not been complying with the orders issued by the [ICJ] court."
He continued to assert that South Africa sees "it fit to approach the court on an urgent basis, particularly with the view of addressing the challenges in the Rafah area," as he referred to the massacres being committed in the region by "Israel".
He concluded that further action must be taken as the "people in Gaza are now starving."
South Africa's Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor highlighted earlier how Israeli occupation forces directly killed hundreds of Palestinian civilians just days after and in spite of the ICJ ruling.
“I can’t be dishonest. I believe the rulings of the court have been ignored. Hundreds of people have been killed in the last three or four days. And clearly, Israel believes it has the license to do as it wishes,” she told reporters in Pretoria, deriving parallels between Gaza and Rwanda amid the silence of the world on the Palestinian death toll.
Moreover, Pandor also highlighted how the International Criminal Court treated Benjamin Netanyahu and Vladimir Putin differently in their respective cases. Reportedly, it seemed significantly easier for the ICC to charge Putin for war crimes, but Netanyahu has been let off the hook.
