Israel's attacks on Gaza can be considered genocide: Expert

GENEVA

An increasing number of international lawyers are of the opinion that the extent of war crimes and the attacks carried out by the Israeli army on Gaza can be considered genocide, an expert said.

In an exclusive interview with Anadolu, Gilles Emmanuel Jacquet, vice president of the Geneva International Peace Research Institute (GIPRI), said more than 30,000 Palestinians have lost their lives in Israel's attacks.

Rejecting the claim by Israel and its supporters that the data in Gaza "came from Hamas," the official said the data came from the Palestinian Health Ministry and was confirmed by the UN.

Comparing the Russia-Ukraine war that started in 2022 with what happened in Gaza, Jacquet said: "If we compare the situation in Gaza with the casualties in the conflict in Ukraine, we can clearly see that what is happening in Gaza is extremely serious. There are more violent deaths in Gaza than in Ukraine, and it is a much smaller area. Therefore, Gaza civilians have also been killed for months. They are stranded there without adequate food and humanitarian aid, facing imminent danger."

Jacquet stated that they called for aid by sea for civilians in Gaza at the end of February and suggested the land route, but added that they were hindered.

Pointing out that the airdropped aid to Gaza resulted in disaster and that people were condemned to death, Jacquet also noted that they are against US President Joe Biden's initiative to establish a temporary floating port on the Gaza coast to deliver humanitarian aid.

"We do not support this for the simple reason that this is a way for the US administration to take control of all operations, including political operations. Clearly, the situation in Gaza is catastrophic right now, if something is not done more civilians will die," Jacquet warned.

Pointing out that war crimes have been reported many times due to the Israeli army's actions in the field, Jacquet stated that Israeli government officials claim that an investigation will be carried out against those responsible.

- Clear examples of war crimes in Gaza

Jacquet underlined that there are clear examples of war crimes being committed in Gaza.

"Given the extent of the war crimes and the military operations carried out by the Israeli army on the ground, this situation can be considered genocide according to a growing number of international lawyers," Jacquet said.

Commenting on GIPRI's criminal complaint against European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on the grounds that she participated in the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Israel, he pointed out: "When we look at the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and the 1948 Genocide Convention, we can say that the unconditional support provided to Israel by some Western governments and EU leaders can be considered as participation in war crimes and genocide. This is based on a legal discussion and evaluation, not a political statement."

Jacquet also explained that their efforts, which led to a complaint against Von der Leyen to the International Criminal Court (ICC), began when they realized that there was no reaction from Western governments and especially the Western media to the events in Gaza. He said that many of the statements received were problematic and that the actions of the Israeli army were supported without question.

- 'We hope ICC Chief Prosecutor Khan will take our legal notice into consideration'

The official further explained that they published an open letter and manifesto at the end of February and attempted to make the EU leadership and Von der Leyen think more cautiously about the humanitarian dimensions of the conflict in Gaza and the fate of civilians.

"However, Von der Leyen stated that she gave unconditional support to Israel, especially regarding its military operations in the field. We saw that there was no sufficient reaction, especially after our initiative to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza by sea," he said.

"We then worked with GIPRI and our other partners to create a legal document. We formed the group and forwarded our criminal complaint to ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan on May 22."

Noting that they received support from many non-governmental organizations and important figures after their criminal complaint to the ICC, Jacquet said: "We hope that ICC Chief Prosecutor Khan will take our legal notification into consideration. In fact, the decision is now in his hands."

The official concluded by saying that they did not receive an official statement after their application and added that the process may take time. Jacquet also added that Khan is focusing on the case in which he applied for an "arrest warrant" for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.