A war crimes complaint involving 10 British nationals who served in the Israeli military in Gaza will be submitted to the Metropolitan Police by leading UK human rights lawyer Michael Mansfield KC.
On Monday, Mansfield and a team of lawyers will deliver a 240-page dossier to Scotland Yard’s war crimes unit.
The report accuses the suspects of targeted killings of civilians and aid workers, including sniper attacks, and indiscriminate bombings of civilian areas like hospitals.
It also alleges attacks on protected sites, including historic monuments and religious locations, and forced displacement of civilians.
The report, prepared by UK lawyers and researchers in The Hague, does not disclose the suspects’ identities, which include officer-level personnel.
Israel has denied committing war crimes during its military campaign in Gaza, which has resulted in over 50,000 deaths, most of them civilians.
The offensive followed Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel, which killed over 1,200 civilians and took 250 hostages.
Mansfield, known for his work on high-profile cases like the Grenfell Tower fire and Stephen Lawrence case, emphasized the UK’s responsibility to address crimes committed by its nationals.
“British nationals are under a legal obligation not to collude with crimes committed in Palestine. No one is above the law,” he stated.
The report, filed on behalf of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) and the Public Interest Law Centre (PILC), documents crimes between October 2023 and May 2024.
It presents compelling evidence, including witness testimonies, of war crimes committed by the suspects, some of whom hold dual nationality.
The report argues that the UK is obligated under international law to investigate and prosecute war crimes committed by its nationals, as outlined in the International Criminal Court Act 2001.
Legal experts and human rights organizations have urged Scotland Yard to take action.
A war crimes complaint involving 10 British nationals who served in the Israeli military in Gaza will be submitted to the Metropolitan Police by leading UK human rights lawyer Michael Mansfield KC.
On Monday, Mansfield and a team of lawyers will deliver a 240-page dossier to Scotland Yard’s war crimes unit.
The report accuses the suspects of targeted killings of civilians and aid workers, including sniper attacks, and indiscriminate bombings of civilian areas like hospitals.
It also alleges attacks on protected sites, including historic monuments and religious locations, and forced displacement of civilians.
The report, prepared by UK lawyers and researchers in The Hague, does not disclose the suspects’ identities, which include officer-level personnel.
Israel has denied committing war crimes during its military campaign in Gaza, which has resulted in over 50,000 deaths, most of them civilians.
The offensive followed Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel, which killed over 1,200 civilians and took 250 hostages.
Mansfield, known for his work on high-profile cases like the Grenfell Tower fire and Stephen Lawrence case, emphasized the UK’s responsibility to address crimes committed by its nationals.
“British nationals are under a legal obligation not to collude with crimes committed in Palestine. No one is above the law,” he stated.
The report, filed on behalf of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) and the Public Interest Law Centre (PILC), documents crimes between October 2023 and May 2024.
It presents compelling evidence, including witness testimonies, of war crimes committed by the suspects, some of whom hold dual nationality.
The report argues that the UK is obligated under international law to investigate and prosecute war crimes committed by its nationals, as outlined in the International Criminal Court Act 2001.
Legal experts and human rights organizations have urged Scotland Yard to take action.