Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), which was founded by the late Jamal Khashoggi, submitted the list of commanders on Dec. 20 at the ICC's headquarters in The Hague, Netherlands. It called on the tribunal to investigate the 40 "prime suspects" it named in the filing."
"These 40 IDF commanders who have been responsible for planning, ordering and executing Israel's indiscriminate bombardment, wanton destruction and mass killing of civilians in Gaza should be prime suspects in any ICC investigation," DAWN Executive Director Sarah Leah Whitson said in a statement.
"While Israel has done its best to conceal the identities of many of its officers, they should be put on notice that they face individual criminal liability for the crimes underway in Gaza."
DAWN initially released three names from its list of 40 suspects:
- Yoav Gallant, the Israeli Defense Minister
- Ghassan Alian, the IDF's coordinator of government activities in the Palestinian territories
- Ehud Bibi, commander of the IDF's 215th Artillery Brigade
DAWN said it would continue to publicly release the names of the other commanders on its list in the coming month. Meanwhile, the Middle East Eye (MEE) reached out to the Israeli Ministry of Defense for comment but did not receive a response as of writing.
Hamas' attack on Oct. 7 caused the deaths of 1,200 people and the capture of 240, who were taken back to the Gaza Strip. While some of the hostages have been released, more than 100 are still under Hamas' custody.
In retaliation, Israel launched an aerial bombardment and ground invasion of the Gaza Strip. The offensive has killed more than 20,000 Palestinians – mostly women and children – according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry.
South Africa wants ICC to prosecute Israel
"DAWN's submission to the ICC is one of several the court has received from both international non-government groups, as well as countries who are calling on the court to investigate whether Israel has committed war crimes in Gaza," the MEE said.
Groups such as Reporters Without Borders and the Al Jazeera news network have requested the tribunal to investigate the killing of journalists in both Israel and the Palestinian territories. While both Israel and the U.S. are not parties to the Rome Statute that established the ICC, the tribunal's mandate includes the Palestinian territories – the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
The sovereign nations of Bangladesh, Bolivia, Comoros and Djibouti have asked the ICC to investigate Israel for its war crimes. Another nation recently joined the countries calling for an investigation – South Africa.
Russia Today reported that South Africa has already sent all relevant paperwork to the ICC. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa also urged the tribunal to begin its probe into Tel Aviv's alleged war crimes at the soonest.
"In South Africa, we have an accord with many other countries in the world. So we see it fit to refer this whole Israeli government action to the ICC. We have put through a referral because we believe that war crimes have been committed there," he said.
"Once a case has been referred to them, they need to take it up seriously. So South Africa, as well as a number of other countries, are presenting their full documentation to the ICC."
Visit IsraelCollapse.com for more stories about Israel's war crimes in the Gaza Strip.
Watch Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounces the ICC as "antisemitic" for its intent to investigate Israel's war crimes.
This video is from The Prisoner channel on Brighteon.com.
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