Belgian NGOs take Israeli company to court over 'illegal transfer of arms'

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - A group of NGOs based in Belgium have filed a criminal complaint against Israeli shipping company ZIM for violations of the arms rules, according to media reports on Wednesday.

The NGOs made the announcement over the lawsuit on Wednesday, which marks the 76th anniversary of Nakba, HLN newspaper reported.

Nakba, or Catastrophe, is marked by the Palestinians on May 15 to remember the expulsion of hundreds of thousands from their homes and lands in 1948 after the founding of Israel.

According to the NGOs, the shipping company violates the rule concerning arms trade that if there is a risk of war crimes, a permit is required for transit.

The complaint was also filed against a Belgian subsidiary of ZIM company, said the report.

Belgian-Palestinian Association, Al-Haq Europe, Oxfam, and Peace Action are among the NGOs taking legal action against the Israeli firm.

Israel has waged a brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip in retaliation for an Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack, which killed 1,200 people.

More than 35,100 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, mostly women and children, and over 79,000 others injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.

In the West Bank, nearly 500 Palestinians have been killed and thousands injured since Oct. 7, along with daily arrest campaigns by the Israeli army.

Israel is accused of “genocide” at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered Tel Aviv to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.