Dutch lawyer files ICC complaint against 1,000 Israeli soldiers for genocide in Gaza

Dutch lawyer Harun Rida has filed a criminal complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) against 1,000 Israeli soldiers, accusing them of involvement in genocidal crimes in Gaza.

The complaint, submitted on behalf of victims in Gaza and the West Bank, comes as the Israeli offensive, described by Rida as genocidal, enters its second year.

Rida, representing the March 30 Movement—an organization founded by European activists to stop the violence in Gaza—announced that the 428-page complaint is backed by evidence from the United Nations, human rights organizations, and social media footage collected by the Movement. The complaint specifically names high-ranking Israeli officers and pilots, some of whom hold dual citizenship.

In a separate legal action, Palestinian and Dutch groups have launched a lawsuit against the Dutch government, accusing it of failing to prevent Israel from committing genocide and other violations of international law. The plaintiffs argue that the Netherlands, as a signatory to the 1948 Genocide Convention, has a legal responsibility to prevent violations by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The lawsuit, supported by Palestinian human rights organizations, Dutch social justice NGOs, and Jewish groups opposed to Israeli government policies, calls for the suspension of trade with Israel related to the occupation. The groups also demand a halt to Dutch exports of military equipment that could be used by Israel against Palestinians.

The lawsuit is scheduled to be heard in November, though previous attempts to hold the Dutch government accountable for violations of the Genocide Convention have been dismissed by the Dutch Supreme Court. However, the lawsuit draws from a prior ruling in February, when a court ordered the Dutch government to stop shipping F-35 fighter aircraft parts to Israel over concerns they were being used to violate international law.

Dutch prosecutors are also reviewing a criminal complaint filed last week that accuses senior Israeli intelligence officials of interfering with the ICC's investigation into war crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories. The complaint, submitted by a group of 20 individuals, mostly Palestinians, cites a report by The Guardian, which revealed Israeli efforts to undermine the ICC’s inquiry over the past decade.

The complaint alleges that Israel's attempts to sabotage the investigation violate Dutch criminal law and Article 70 of the Rome Statute, which governs offenses against the administration of justice. The submission calls on Dutch prosecutors to investigate Israeli espionage and target senior security officials involved in these activities.

The ICC's investigation into crimes in Palestine was initiated in 2015, when the court's former chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, launched a preliminary inquiry into the situation in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. Israeli intelligence efforts to derail this investigation now form the basis of the Dutch complaint. Dutch authorities have yet to decide whether they will open a formal case.

These legal developments place increasing international attention on the Netherlands, particularly in light of its role as the host country of the ICC. As tensions escalate in the Middle East, the outcome of these cases could have significant implications for international accountability regarding Israel’s actions in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories. (ILKHA)