US-based NGO submits list of 40 Israeli commanders to ICC for investigation into ‘war crimes’

By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) - A US-based NGO said they submitted a list of 40 Israeli soldiers to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for investigation into “war crimes” in Gaza.

“The International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor should investigate as suspects for war crimes and crimes against humanity the senior Israeli commanders,” Democracy for Arab World Now (DAWN) said in a statement.

The statement said that the names of 40 Israeli commanders have been submitted to ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan, asserting that these individuals have “taken part in, or who have direct command responsibility over operations that likely comprise indiscriminate and deliberate attacks on civilians, the use of starvation as a weapon, blocking humanitarian aid, and the imposition of the siege on Gaza.”

Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director at DAWN, said that the 40 Israeli commanders “who have been responsible for planning, ordering, and executing Israel's indiscriminate bombardment, wanton destruction, and mass killing of civilians in Gaza should be prime suspects in any ICC investigation."

- Israeli defense minister is on top of list

“At the top of the list of suspects is Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. On October 9, 2023, Gallant ordered a complete siege on Gaza City, cut off the supply of potable water to the entire population of the Gaza Strip — over 2 million people, blocked the entry of humanitarian aid, and oversaw the indiscriminate bombardment of Gaza,” the NGO said.

The list also includes Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alian. According to the NGO, Alian is “responsible for administering the siege of Gaza and was responsible for cutting off the supply of water, food, and fuel in the early days of the war.”

The list also included Lt. Col. Dvir Edri, the commander of the 460th Armored Brigade, which DAWN said participated in combat operations in northern Gaza on Nov. 4.

“Between noon November 4 and noon November 5, according to data published by the UN, 243 Palestinians were killed in Gaza. Infantry, combat engineering, and armored forces like those under the command of Lt. Col. Edri have been documented attacking protected civilian sites such as hospitals, houses of worship, and schools,” the NGO added.

Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man, the director of research for Israel-Palestine at DAWN, said: “Israeli criminal law does not establish any type of 'command responsibility' for war crimes, which means Israeli courts never hold senior officers accountable — while it almost always absolves their subordinates of committing serious war crimes."