Palestinian human rights groups have filed a submission to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, urging the ICC to investigate Israel’s attack on the Gaza Strip in May last year.
In a press release published on Tuesday, Palestinian Human Rights organizations Al-Haq, Al-Mezan, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) stated that they “have provided a detailed description and analysis of the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the military offensive in May 2021.”
Part 2, of Raji Sourani on #ICC May 2021 submission #OpenGaza #SaveSheikhJarrah #EndTheOccupation #NoMoreImpunity pic.twitter.com/zAnodR9VVo
— Katherine Gallagher (@katherga1) May 23, 2022
“The May 2021 attack on Gaza is just the most recent example of a series of highly destructive military operations aimed at causing disproportionate damage and suffering on the civilian population of the Gaza Strip, which is subjected to an unlawful 15-year-old closure,” said Raji Sourani, the Director of PCHR.
The Israeli operation was launched “in the context of an exceptionally serious wave of repression by the Israeli authorities across occupied Palestine”, the press release read, adding that,
“The Submission finds that grave crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court have been committed on a wide scale by the Israeli authorities against Palestinian civilians and civil infrastructures of Gaza”.
“The commission of these crimes needs to be seen in the context of Israel’s prolonged, belligerent occupation of the entire Palestinian territory, and of the widespread commission of systemic crimes against humanity, including apartheid, and grave war crimes,” explained Shawan Jabareen, the Director of Al-Haq.
Palestinian human rights organizations @AlMezanCenter @pchrgaza and Al-Haq submit file to the ICC, and urge the prosecutor to open cases from attack on Palestinians in #Gaza in May 2021https://t.co/VgC3JqPpTk#Palestine #EndImpunity pic.twitter.com/zsDIPcngls
— Al-Haq الحق (@alhaq_org) May 24, 2022
Issam Younis, the Director-General of Al-Mezan, insisted that the victims have already waited far too long for justice. “How much longer will Palestinians in Gaza need to wait before the ICC holds Israeli officials to account?”
In May 2021, Israel launched a devastating 11-days military offensive on Gaza, dubbed by Israel as Guardian of the Walls and by Palestinians as The Sword of Jerusalem.
(The Palestine Chronicle, MEMO, Social Media)
