War Crimes Complaint Filed Against British Nationals for Actions in Gaza
Legal dossier alleges involvement of ten Britons in war crimes during the Israel-Gaza conflict.
A formal complaint alleging war crimes has been lodged against ten British nationals with the Metropolitan Police, who are accused of participating in military operations for the Israeli armed forces during the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Leading human rights lawyer Michael Mansfield KC, along with a coalition of UK lawyers, plans to submit a comprehensive 240-page dossier on Monday to Scotland Yard’s war crimes unit.
The dossier asserts that these individuals engaged in actions constituting war crimes, including the targeted killing of civilians and aid workers through methods such as sniper fire, as well as indiscriminate attacks on civilian-populated areas, notably hospitals.
Additionally, the report claims these individuals participated in coordinated assaults on protected sites, including cultural heritage sites and religious monuments, along with enforced displacement of civilians.
The preparation of this report involved a team of legal professionals and researchers based in The Hague and took approximately six months to compile.
However, for legal reasons, the identities of the accused and the full contents of the report remain undisclosed.
The Israeli government has categorically rejected accusations that its military or political leaders have committed war crimes during the recent military operations in Gaza, which have reportedly resulted in over 50,000 deaths, the majority being civilians.
This military response was initiated following a deadly attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023, which resulted in over 1,200 casualties and the abduction of approximately 250 individuals, also predominantly civilians.
Mansfield emphasized the legal obligations of British nationals, stating, “If one of our nationals is committing an offence, we ought to be doing something about it.
Even if we can’t stop the government of foreign countries behaving badly, we can at least stop our nationals from behaving badly.” He further asserted that British citizens are legally bound to refrain from complicity in crimes associated with the Palestinian territories.
The report has been submitted on behalf of the Gaza-based Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) and the British-based Public Interest Law Centre (PILC).
It documents alleged crimes occurring from October 2023 through May 2024. The dossier outlines that each alleged action by the ten British nationals constitutes a war crime or crime against humanity.
Eyewitness accounts included in the report describe grotesque scenes, including reports of deceased individuals lying exposed in hospital courtyards, with one witness recalling the horrific sight of a bulldozer running over a corpse amidst the destruction of part of a medical facility.
Sean Summerfield, a barrister involved in compiling this dossier, remarked that the evidence presented is derived from open-source information and firsthand testimonies.
He noted that the intention is for those implicated to be brought before legal proceedings in the UK.
The report elucidates Britain’s obligations under international treaties to investigate and prosecute alleged perpetrators of “core international crimes.” According to Section 51 of the International Criminal Court Act 2001, it constitutes an offence under the law of England and Wales to commit genocide, crimes against humanity, or war crimes regardless of where these acts occur.
Raji Sourani, the director of the PCHR, stressed the urgency of accountability, stating, “This is illegal, this is inhuman and enough is enough.
The government cannot say we didn’t know; we are providing them with all the evidence.” Similarly, Paul Heron, legal director of the PILC, remarked, “We’re filing our report to make clear these war crimes are not in our name.”
In support of this initiative, numerous legal and human rights experts have endorsed a letter urging the war crimes unit to pursue an investigation into these allegations.
Leading human rights lawyer Michael Mansfield KC, along with a coalition of UK lawyers, plans to submit a comprehensive 240-page dossier on Monday to Scotland Yard’s war crimes unit.
The dossier asserts that these individuals engaged in actions constituting war crimes, including the targeted killing of civilians and aid workers through methods such as sniper fire, as well as indiscriminate attacks on civilian-populated areas, notably hospitals.
Additionally, the report claims these individuals participated in coordinated assaults on protected sites, including cultural heritage sites and religious monuments, along with enforced displacement of civilians.
The preparation of this report involved a team of legal professionals and researchers based in The Hague and took approximately six months to compile.
However, for legal reasons, the identities of the accused and the full contents of the report remain undisclosed.
The Israeli government has categorically rejected accusations that its military or political leaders have committed war crimes during the recent military operations in Gaza, which have reportedly resulted in over 50,000 deaths, the majority being civilians.
This military response was initiated following a deadly attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023, which resulted in over 1,200 casualties and the abduction of approximately 250 individuals, also predominantly civilians.
Mansfield emphasized the legal obligations of British nationals, stating, “If one of our nationals is committing an offence, we ought to be doing something about it.
Even if we can’t stop the government of foreign countries behaving badly, we can at least stop our nationals from behaving badly.” He further asserted that British citizens are legally bound to refrain from complicity in crimes associated with the Palestinian territories.
The report has been submitted on behalf of the Gaza-based Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) and the British-based Public Interest Law Centre (PILC).
It documents alleged crimes occurring from October 2023 through May 2024. The dossier outlines that each alleged action by the ten British nationals constitutes a war crime or crime against humanity.
Eyewitness accounts included in the report describe grotesque scenes, including reports of deceased individuals lying exposed in hospital courtyards, with one witness recalling the horrific sight of a bulldozer running over a corpse amidst the destruction of part of a medical facility.
Sean Summerfield, a barrister involved in compiling this dossier, remarked that the evidence presented is derived from open-source information and firsthand testimonies.
He noted that the intention is for those implicated to be brought before legal proceedings in the UK.
The report elucidates Britain’s obligations under international treaties to investigate and prosecute alleged perpetrators of “core international crimes.” According to Section 51 of the International Criminal Court Act 2001, it constitutes an offence under the law of England and Wales to commit genocide, crimes against humanity, or war crimes regardless of where these acts occur.
Raji Sourani, the director of the PCHR, stressed the urgency of accountability, stating, “This is illegal, this is inhuman and enough is enough.
The government cannot say we didn’t know; we are providing them with all the evidence.” Similarly, Paul Heron, legal director of the PILC, remarked, “We’re filing our report to make clear these war crimes are not in our name.”
In support of this initiative, numerous legal and human rights experts have endorsed a letter urging the war crimes unit to pursue an investigation into these allegations.
