JERUSALEM

The Israeli army is preparing to face international legal battles over its deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip, which killed nearly 32,000 people.

The army has recruited dozens of legal advisers for its Military Prosecution and turned its international law department into a division, according to Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper on Wednesday.

Israeli forces are now accompanied by representatives of the Military Prosecution during its operations in Gaza.

The army is also preparing confidential files with damning evidence justifying Israeli actions in the blockaded enclave, primarily against Hamas strongholds in buildings, including mosques, schools, and clinics.

Israel has launched a deadly military offensive on the Palestinian enclave following a Hamas attack last October, which killed nearly 1,200.

The Israeli army has since destroyed or damaged tens of thousands of buildings and houses in Gaza. It also confiscated hundreds of dunams of Palestinian land to establish a buffer zone and torched dozens of houses despite US objections.

“For each such case, the IDF (army) may have to explain and justify its actions after the war or risk being accused of committing war crimes,” Yedioth Ahronoth said.

‘Tip of the iceberg’

Israeli military officials are worried that the enormous legal implications of the Gaza war may endanger officers and soldiers abroad and restrict the army’s operational freedom, which relies, among other things, on international legitimacy and recognition of Israel's right to self-defense.

"The international legal pressure against Israel started gradually, even before the war, when the International Court of Justice (ICJ) supported launching an investigation against Israel as early as 2019, and declared they had the authority to do so in 2021," the army says.

"Now the pressure placed by many countries to pursue legal actions against the IDF and Israel is growing, with more countries involved than only South Africa. Just this month, the ICJ issued arrest warrants for two Russian generals on charges of hitting a Ukrainian power plant and harming civilians without justification."

In 2009, the UN established a fact-finding mission led by South African jurist Richard Goldstone to investigate human rights violations following Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip, in which more than 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed.

The Israeli army estimates the Goldstone mission will be a "walk in the park" in comparison.

"We'll face a thousand Goldstones, not only from UN bodies, and we'll fight and contend with them all. The recent moves in the past weeks are just the tip of the iceberg,” the army says in an assessment.

Early this month, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, upon a US request, reiterated Israel’s commitment to the Pentagon to use weapons provided by Washington according to international law, in a sign that reflects Israeli concerns about possible legal battles after the war.

Pro-Palestinian organizations in Europe have already compiled blacklists of Israeli soldiers who participated in the Gaza war, including those who took photos of themselves and shared images and videos while demolishing buildings or retaliating against Palestinians.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the ICJ, which in January issued an interim ruling ordering Tel Aviv to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide, and guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul