By Baris Gundogan
Anadolu's new publication “Evidence” presents photos and visuals that vividly expose Israel's crimes in Gaza, serving as crucial evidence to try Israel for war crimes.
Since Oct. 7, in the attacks Israel has launched on the Gaza Strip, more than 15,500 Palestinians have lost their lives, including over 6,000 children and more than 4,000 women.
While many countries, especially the Western nations, remained silent over the attacks that Israel conducted without distinguishing between women and children, some countries put forward the thesis of "insufficient evidence" for the massacres.
To counter these assertions, Anadolu decided to turn the footage of photojournalists and cameramen who have been in the field since the beginning of the attacks, into a book to be evidence in international law.
The book, prepared by an expert team in Turkish, English, and Arabic, was published under the title "Evidence."
In the publication, Israel's human rights violations in Gaza are vividly presented with photos.
Photographs of white phosphorus artillery shells used by the Israeli army in densely populated civilian areas of Gaza, deemed a crime by the UN Convention on Conventional Weapons, are also included.
Additionally, the book features an introduction by French lawyer Gilles Devers, who advocates for Palestinian victims in the International Criminal Court.
Devers described the photographs and videos taken by Anadolu journalists as "fundamental evidence" that fully exposes the crimes committed.
- 'Anadolu documented war crimes'
Anadolu’s President & CEO Serdar Karagoz, in the preface of the book, stated that since Oct. 7, the attacks initiated by the Israeli government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Gaza have been recorded in history for violating fundamental principles of human rights and international legal principles.
“The attacks, ranging from the bombing of hospitals, places of worship, schools, ambulances, aid organizations, UN centers, and infrastructure facilities, have further intensified the siege that has been ongoing in the Gaza Strip for years,” Karagoz said.
He emphasized that Israel should withdraw to the 1967 borders in accordance with international legal principles and UN resolutions, and an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital should be established.
“Among the evidence documented, there are photographs taken by Anadolu photojournalists, which are also included in the proofs that Amnesty International has documented, of the use of white phosphorus artillery shells by the Israeli army in densely populated civilian areas of Gaza," he said.
Karagoz also emphasized that Gilles Devers, a French lawyer advocating for Palestinian victims in the International Criminal Court, said Anadolu's photographs and videos were fundamental evidence that fully exposes the crimes committed.
Karagoz said the book holds evidential bases for the case files opened by international legal organizations against the Israeli administration and provides information about the legal definition within the framework of international regulations and statutes, as well as the criminal penalties envisaged for these crimes.
“We hope that the book, published under the name 'Evidence,' will contribute to holding the Israeli administration under Prime Minister Netanyahu accountable for the war crimes committed under international law and reiterate our determination to bring the human rights violations in Gaza to the world agenda," he added.