Burak Bir
07 April 2025•Update: 08 April 2025
LONDON
A top barrister and a legal research team lodged an extensive report Monday with London’s Metropolitan Police accusing 10 British citizens of war crimes in Gaza.
The 240-page report was compiled by a team of lawyers including renowned human rights barrister Michael Mansfield KC in the UK and researchers based in The Hague for submission to the War Crimes Team at the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command, said multiple media outlets.
The submission was made on behalf of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights and the British-based Public Interest Law Centre (PILC), which are representing Palestinians in Gaza and Britain.
The report, which is the first of its kind, reportedly provides detailed, fully researched, and solid evidence of the involvement of British nationals in grave crimes committed in Gaza.
It specifically identified 10 British suspects and presented a dossier of evidence of their involvement in "war crimes and crimes against humanity" committed by the Israeli military.
It further calls for an investigation into the British nationals, with the aim of issuing arrest warrants and pursuing prosecutions in British courts.
It follows an international call to action from the Global 195 legal coalition, which is seeking accountability for alleged war crimes in Palestine.
Ahead of submitting the report, the legal team spoke to reporters outside Scotland Yard.
Paul Heron, the legal director of the PILC, said the report is based on six months of extensive evidence gathering.
"In our submission to the War Crimes Team at the Metropolitan Police, we are calling for a full and urgent investigation and for criminal prosecutions," he noted.
He said the war crimes and crimes against humanity include murder, deliberately causing great suffering, serious injury and cruel treatment of Palestinians in Gaza, attacking civilians, forcible transfer and deportation, and attacks on humanitarian personnel as well as extermination as it relates to actions of the Israeli military against the Palestinian people.
Noting that Israel has continued its renewed attack for 14 days, Heron said "This submission could not be more timely."
Raji Sourani, director of the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), said that as they are speaking, Gaza is being subjected to bombardment, killing, and slaughter.
"That's a big shame when genocide has been streamed live for the last 18 months," he said.
He highlighted that labeling Israeli attacks as self-defense is a license to kill Palestinian civilians.
Accusing the US, the UK, and Europe of complicity in Israeli attacks, Sourani said that arms are still being sent to Israel.
"I think the UK Prosecutor (Stephen Parkinson) is the one who should initiate investigating and charging citizens of the UK who were involved (in war crimes) directly on the ground in Gaza," he added.
Mansfield pointed out the importance of standing up as Israeli pressure continues on the International Criminal Court (ICC), adding the UK should be lending support to the ICC.
He said the UK government should also uphold the rule of law.
