ISTANBUL

Eight lawmakers from the Gaza Strip have lodged a complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC), urging Israel to lift a blockade and provide financial compensation to those impacted by it.

In a statement, Ahmed Bahr, the deputy chairman of the Palestinian Legislative Council, said the lawmakers commissioned French lawyer Gilles Duvier to submit their complaint to the ICC prosecutor.

The deputies demand that the ICC take the complaint seriously and promptly and prosecute Israel for its crimes.

In addition, the complaint asks the ICC to urge Israel to initiate the establishment of effective mechanisms to ensure accountability for its actions of blockade and aggression against the Gaza Strip.

The complaint also carries the signatures of the bar associations of Jordan, Gaza and Morocco.

According to a UN report, the direct economic losses resulting from the blockade totaled $16.7 billion between 2007 and 2018. The report also indicates that the total compensation claimed amounts to $25 billion.

*Writing by Servet Gunerigok