Ex-German foreign minister accuses Israel of committing war crimes in Gaza

By Oliver Towfigh Nia

BERLIN (AA) - Former German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel on Wednesday accused Israel of committing “war crimes” in Gaza.

“What he (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu) and the Israeli government are doing there are war crimes,” Gabriel said in an interview with the Pioneer news website.

The Israeli government is conducting a military operation in Gaza that is “not only directed against Hamas, but also involves an incredible number of civilian casualties. This violates everything we know: Hague Convention on War on Land, international law of war. That cannot be justified, " he added.

Gabriel accused Netanyahu of prolonging the war in Gaza so he can stay in power. “The day the war ends, he will be out of office," he said.

Gabriel’s remarks came in the wake of last week’s UN Human Rights Council’s resolution calling on Israel to be held accountable for possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Only six countries voted against the resolution, which passed with 28 votes in favor and 13 abstentions.

A strong ally of Israel, Germany was among those countries that opposed the measure.

Germany is also facing legal charges from Nicaragua at the top UN court that it is "facilitating the commission of genocide" against Palestinians with its military and political support for Israel.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Palestinian territory since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, which killed nearly 1,200 people.

More than 33,300 Palestinians have since been killed and nearly 76,000 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which in January issued an interim ruling that ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.