Israel on Edge: ICC’s Unprecedented Move Stirs Up a Legal Storm
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| The facade of Al-Shifa Hospital before it was destroyed by the Israeli occupation forces |
Over the course of more than two weeks of Israeli siege and bombardment of Al-Shifa Hospital, west of Gaza City, it caused mass massacres that, according to the Palestinian Civil Defense, led to the death of more than 300 Palestinians, many of whose bodies were found while they were shackled, which indicates that the occupation committed massacres and killing of patients and medical personnel in a systematic way.
Directly, and the destruction of all hospital facilities and treatment departments that were bombed and burned, despite the presence of hundreds of wounded, patients, and doctors inside those departments, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, which also confirmed that the occupation forces, which withdrew today from the vicinity of Al-Shifa Hospital, practiced all kinds of crimes, murder, and genocide.
Against the sick, wounded, and medical personnel, in addition to the martyrdom of dozens of Palestinians, most of them women and children, in an Israeli bombing that targeted all the homes surrounding Al-Shifa Hospital, which the occupation bulldozers turned into mass graves for Palestinians.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed that the occupation’s destruction and burning of all the facilities of Al-Shifa Hospital constitutes a mass killing of more than a million Palestinians who were receiving their treatment services inside this hospital, which is the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip.
According to the testimonies of doctors who survived the Israeli massacre in Al-Shifa Hospital, the occupation destroyed all floors.
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A number of residents of the northern Gaza Strip inspect the massive destruction that occurred to Al-Shifa Hospital after the Israeli occupation forces withdrew from it after carrying out brutal massacres against civilians and medical personnel after the hospital was besieged and occupied for weeks. |
The occupation forces also burned the main reception and emergency building during the Shifa Hospital massacre, in which dozens of its rooms were destroyed.
According to the doctors, the occupation burned the medical equipment in it, and also burned the kidney, women’s and maternity buildings, and refrigerators.
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| Members of the Palestinian Red Crescent carry the body of one of the martyrs who was killed by the Israeli occupation forces. The occupation forces buried him in the courtyard of Al-Shifa Hospital. |
The burial of the dead, the cancer and burns departments, and the outpatient clinics building, and the Prince Nayef Center inside the hospital, which the occupation turned after its destruction into a mass detention center for doctors and patients, were also destroyed.
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The facade of the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Yunis, Gaza, in a night view. Citizens gather in front of the emergency department and the hospital entrance to receive their families who were injured or martyred as a result of the indiscriminate Israeli bombing of the city of Khan Yunis. |
The occupation forces imposed a strict siege on the complex for more than 25 days, with snipers targeting those inside it or in its courtyards. This led to the inability of medical teams to move between its buildings, in light of the presence of 300 health personnel, 450 sick and wounded, and 10,000 displaced people.
The Aftermath
The Israeli military did not offer an immediate comment. Mahmud Bassal, spokesman for Gaza's Civil Defence, said that their crews are still recovering bodies from inside the Nasser Medical Complex. Several of the recovered bodies had decomposed. There is difficulty in the process of identifying them but civil defence efforts are ongoing.
Ismail al-Thawabta, head of the Hamas government media office in the Palestinian territory, gave a higher figure of 283 bodies found at the hospital. Muhammad al-Mughayyir, a senior official at the civil defence agency, also confirmed the discovery of corpses at the facility and said the work to retrieve the remaining bodies would continue until Thursday.
This incident has brought to light the devastating human cost of conflict. The international community awaits further developments as the excavation continues. It is hoped that this tragic event will lead to renewed efforts for peace and justice in the region. This blog post will be updated as more information becomes available.
Possible ICC Legal Action Over Gaza
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| The International Court of Justice, the principal judicial organ of the UN, delivers its order South Africa's request for provisional measures against Israel over its actions in the Gaza Strip, January 26, 2024. (International Court of Justice) |
There is a growing concern in Israel over the possibility of legal action by the International Criminal Court (ICC) regarding the country’s actions in the occupied territories. The ICC has been investigating these actions for the past three years, and more recently.
The ICC Investigation
The ICC has the power to charge and try individuals for the most serious crimes under international law. It has previously issued arrest warrants for leaders including Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Muammar Gaddafi of Libya, and Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony. Now, it seems that Israeli officials, including possibly Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, could be next on the list.
The ICC’s investigations have focused on alleged war crimes committed by Israeli forces during the 2014 Gaza conflict.
Israel’s Response
Netanyahu has called the prospect of senior Israel figures joining the wanted list “an outrage of historic proportions”, accusing the ICC of attempting to paralyze Israel’s ability to defend itself. However, the fact that he’s chosen to make such strident public comments suggests that, behind the scenes, such a scenario is being actively discussed.
Israel has long argued that the ICC has no jurisdiction over the Palestinian territories. However, the court ruled in February 2021 that it does have jurisdiction, paving the way for the current investigation.
As Israel prepares for potential ICC arrest warrants for top leaders over Gaza actions, the world watches with bated breath. The outcome of this investigation could have far-reaching implications, not just for Israel and Palestine, but for international law and justice as a whole. It could potentially set a precedent for how international law is applied to conflicts and could influence the behavior of states and non-state actors in future conflicts. It’s a situation that warrants close attention from the international community.
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