How Can We Protect The ICC?

marwan
July 30, 2026

The coordinated actions to dismantle the International Criminal Court (ICC) and hinder its jurisdiction are deeply troubling and signal a dangerous path forward. This trend has become apparent with Venezuela and Chad announcing plans to withdraw from the Rome Statute. This occurs alongside clear US incitement efforts against the Court, including sanctions on its officials, and the European state parties’ lack of substantial action on arrest warrants for Israeli officials.

These actions risk undermining the international criminal justice system and depriving victims of international crimes of one of the few remaining accountability mechanisms, thereby entrenching impunity for perpetrators and providing political and legal cover for ongoing grave violations of international law.

Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor expresses deep concern over the Chadian government’s announcement that it has begun the process of withdrawing from the ICC. This comes shortly after Venezuela notified the United Nations of its withdrawal, following similar notifications from Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso. These actions indicate a concerning trend of countries moving away from the Rome Statute, both within and outside Africa.

Chad plays a crucial role in Darfur investigations because of its direct border with the region and its large refugee, survivor, and witness populations. It has also recently supported ICC teams in documenting crimes. Although Chad’s withdrawal does not legally remove the Court’s jurisdiction over Darfur crimes, it may significantly hinder access to victims and evidence and impede cooperative efforts.

Additionally, Venezuela’s decision is especially significant because it occurs during an active investigation by the Court into alleged crimes against humanity since April 2017. This investigation involves suspected state security forces, civilian authorities, and pro-government actors. There are serious concerns that the withdrawal might be used as a tool to hinder cooperation and reduce chances of holding accountable those responsible for the crimes under investigation.

Venezuela and Chad’s simultaneous withdrawal decisions, along with similar actions by other states, reveal a coordinated effort to weaken the Court through two main strategies. The first involves a fierce campaign led by the United States with Israeli backing, employing sanctions, threats, and public rhetoric to encourage states to withdraw. The second consists of internal weakening tactics by state parties’ governments, such as withdrawing during investigations, ignoring cooperation duties, or selectively enforcing decisions while refusing to arrest or surrender wanted individuals.

Washington’s welcoming of Venezuela and Chad’s withdrawals on 25 and 27 July are part of a broader campaign, announced by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on 13 July, aimed at dismantling the Court.

The successive withdrawals primarily harm the victims by limiting their access to justice, rather than penalising the Court as an institution. This situation gives perpetrators of international crimes more room for impunity, especially when there are no effective, independent national judicial alternatives.

The criticisms levelled at the ICC regarding slow procedures, selectivity in case handling, and limited outcomes, particularly concerning crimes committed outside Africa, are legitimate and demand serious structural reforms to strengthen the Court’s independence, efficiency, and consistency. However, addressing these shortcomings must not be done by dismantling or withdrawing from the Court, but by reforming it, enhancing its effectiveness, and ensuring it exercises its jurisdiction free from political interference or selectivity.

Past operational failures should not justify undermining the Court’s authority. The bias within the international justice system highlights the need to reform accountability mechanisms and broaden their scope, rather than weakening the few tools available to hold perpetrators of the gravest international crimes accountable.

Euro-Med Monitor points out the irony of the US administration exploiting African concerns about ICC selectivity while simultaneously intensifying its campaign against the international judicial system. This escalation is mainly due to the Court’s expanded reach to include officials in Israel, a key US ally.

Washington’s imposition of financial sanctions and travel restrictions on the ICC Prosecutor, judges, and deputy prosecutors due to their work on cases involving US and Israeli officials represents a blatant interference in the independence of international justice. These measures not only intimidate Court staff and block access to vital financial and technical resources but also discourage banks, corporations, organisations, and experts from cooperating, which hampers investigations, delays enforcement of decisions, and limits victims’ access to justice. Moreover, it sets a dangerous precedent that allows powerful states to penalise international justice whenever it targets their officials or allies, thereby broadening impunity.

On 21 November 2024, the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, after judges found reasonable grounds to believe they are criminally responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip.

Both arrest warrants remain in effect and must be obeyed by the parties involved. The argument that the Court lacks jurisdiction because Israel is not a signatory to the Rome Statute is unfounded, as jurisdiction is based on crimes committed within the territory of the State of Palestine, a member state. This covers the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. Therefore, Israel’s non-acceptance of the Rome Statute does not exempt its officials from accountability for crimes allegedly committed on the land of a party state.

The fact that Greece, Italy, and France permitted a government aircraft carrying Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to fly through their airspace during his recent trip to the United States, despite all three being state parties to the Rome Statute and aware of the active arrest warrant against him, raises serious questions about whether this conduct aligns with their legal duty to cooperate in good faith with the Court and to refrain from undermining its decisions.

Granting prior airspace transit was not compulsory for these states; it was a sovereign choice they could refuse. This decision allowed an individual wanted by the International Criminal Court on suspicion of war crimes and crimes against humanity to pass, which undermines the purpose of the arrest warrant. It also highlights a contradiction: while these states publicly support legal obligations, their actions of helping wanted persons evade arrest contradict their stated commitments.

The European Union’s political backing for the Court diminishes in credibility and practical value when member states allow a judicially wanted official to transit through their territories, instead of denying transit permissions and using their authority to prevent their territories from being used to evade arrest warrants.

Euro-Med Monitor emphasises that Greece, Italy, and France need to give clear legal reasons for granting transit permissions. It is essential to adopt strict, clear protocols to prevent facilitating the movement of wanted persons and ensure their rapid arrest and surrender to the Court if they enter or land in these countries, in line with their obligations under the Rome Statute.

It is important to clearly separate proceedings related to the ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan’s personal and professional conduct from the Court’s judicial decisions. The process of dismissing or investigating Khan is a separate institutional matter and does not affect the legality of the arrest warrants.

Holding any Court official accountable for misconduct, when proven through independent, fair procedures that ensure the rights of all involved parties and safeguard whistleblowers and victims, is an institutional obligation that upholds the Court’s integrity without threatening its independence. Using individual accountability as a reason to discredit ongoing investigations or nullify independent judicial rulings is unacceptable.

Euro-Med Monitor rebukes any attempts to leverage Khan’s case to challenge the investigation into the situation in Palestine or the arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant. The warrants were not issued by the Prosecutor in his personal capacity, but by an independent Pre-Trial Chamber that determined, following an evaluation of prosecution submissions, that there were reasonable grounds to believe both individuals bear criminal responsibility for crimes within the Court’s jurisdiction. Consequently, the enforceability and legal validity of the warrants do not depend on Khan remaining in office.

The removal of the Prosecutor does not disrupt the Court’s legal or institutional continuity, nor does it invalidate ongoing investigations or active arrest warrants, including those related to Palestine and Venezuela. Additionally, it does not absolve state parties from their obligation to cooperate fully with the Court and enforce its judicial orders.

A transparent, independent, and competitive process is crucial for selecting a new Prosecutor. This process should be based on clear public criteria for competence, integrity, and experience, ensuring candidates undergo rigorous professional and ethical assessments. It must also shield the selection from political influence and conflicts of interest. The Court must guarantee continuous progress on all cases without delays or bias, avoiding the transitional period being used to disrupt investigations or expose them to pressure from the US and Israel, which could undermine accountability.

Concerning the legal consequences of the withdrawals, notifications from Chad and Venezuela to begin withdrawal procedures do not cause an immediate departure from the Rome Statute. Article 127 states that a withdrawal becomes effective one year after the UN Secretary-General receives written notification, unless a later date is specified. Until that time, both countries remain state parties with legal obligations, including cooperating with the Court and fulfilling its requests.

Venezuela’s withdrawal, even after it takes effect, does not remove the Court’s jurisdiction over crimes committed while the Rome Statute was in force for the country. It also does not end ongoing investigations or cancel cooperation obligations related to proceedings started before the withdrawal became effective. Similarly, Chad’s withdrawal does not impact the Court’s jurisdiction over Darfur crimes or disrupt cooperation processes initiated during its membership. Withdrawal does not erase individual criminal responsibility nor stop the Court from considering issues submitted before it officially took effect.

Chad, Venezuela, Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso should reverse their withdrawal decisions, retract their notifications before they become effective, uphold their legal commitments, and collaborate with other States Parties to reform the Court and address operational issues, rather than undermining the international criminal justice system and depriving victims of one of the few accountability tools available.

Concerned states should fully cooperate in relevant cases and investigations. This includes allowing Court investigators access to victims, witnesses, information, and evidence, while ensuring the protection of victims and witnesses and the preservation of evidence. States must also avoid using withdrawal procedures that could hinder investigations or reduce accountability for international crimes within the Court’s jurisdiction.

The United States should stop its efforts to dismantle the Court and lift any financial sanctions and travel restrictions imposed on its judges, prosecutors, and associates. EU member states and other allies need to work together to implement legal, financial, and technical strategies that protect the Court and its personnel from sanctions and political influence, so it can continue to utilise the necessary services and resources to fulfil its responsibilities.

European state parties to the Rome Statute should turn their support for the Court into tangible actions by refusing to accept wanted individuals or allow their transit through their airspace. They must also ensure the arrest and surrender of such individuals on their territories, adhering strictly to legal obligations, including executing arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant without bias or political influence.

Euro-Med Monitor calls on state parties to review national legislation and adopt clear, binding protocols for executing arrest and surrender requests, as well as for handling transit, landing, and official visit requests by wanted individuals, thereby preventing procedural loopholes from being exploited to protect them.

It is vital to persist in investigating the situation in the State of Palestine, covering crimes in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. This includes executing arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant without bias or political influence and rejecting any efforts to interfere with or alter the investigation’s direction or priorities.

Euro-Med Monitor calls on the Assembly of States Parties to ensure a transparent, independent, and competitive process for choosing and electing the new Prosecutor. This process should be based on published criteria for competence, integrity, and experience, with candidates undergoing comprehensive professional and ethical evaluations. It is also essential to disclose the selection procedures, prevent political interference and conflicts of interest, and thereby protect the independence of the Prosecutor’s Office. These measures are vital for maintaining the trust of victims and Court staff, and for ensuring ongoing investigations.

National judicial authorities should invoke universal jurisdiction as per their national laws, initiating independent investigations into international crimes and prosecuting suspects when jurisdiction is applicable. This approach broadens accountability opportunities beyond just the International Criminal Court. Euromedmonitor

Features News

Gaza, Srebrenica: Two Genocides Years Apart

CrossFireArabia
July 7, 2026

Israel Turns Gaza Into a Death ‘Srebrenica’ Camp

Israel is legitimising and enforcing a systematic pattern of geographic siege on Gaza, extending beyond a comprehensive blockade to include forcible internal confinement. This traps Palestinians within a small, devastated area under conditions more severe and crowded than those in the Srebrenica enclave before its fall in 1995, when genocide occurred according to the Euromedmonitor.

The Srebrenica genocide serves as a clear historical warning about the deadly impact of besieging civilians and depriving them of protection and essentials for life, particularly when these actions are part of systematic behaviour that is a core component of ongoing genocide, as seen in Gaza the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor added.

On the eve of Srebrenica’s fall in 1995, nearly 40,000 people were besieged within a roughly 150 km². Meanwhile, for most of Gaza’s approximately 2.1 million residents, the remaining habitable area has shrunk to just about 128 km².

Geographically and demographically, Gaza is now limited to an area about 15 per cent smaller than Srebrenica, but with a population over 50 times larger and a density roughly 60 times higher, all amidst rubble, waste, and a severe lack of basic living conditions.

Changing Gaza’s Landscape

Israel is changing the demographic and military landscape of the Gaza Strip by increasing its de facto control and imposing severe restrictions on roughly 65 per cent of the enclave. This action deprives over two million residents of essential resources, prevents their return to their lands and homes, and makes large parts of Gaza prohibited zones under Israeli military control. These measures effectively amount to an unlawful annexation and seizure of land the Geneva-based organization.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement to expand military control over 70 percent of Gaza highlights an aim to further settler colonialism and expel the area’s native Palestinians, as this plan would leave only about 109 km² for residents. If this occurs, the per capita share of the remaining space would decrease to approximately 52 m², and the population density would increase to about 19,300 people per km², which is roughly 72 times higher than the density in Srebrenica in 1995.

Although the numerical figures on population density are alarming, they do not fully reflect the harsh reality of the suffocating overcrowding residents face in the Gaza Strip. Much of the remaining land has been intentionally rendered uninhabitable through systematic destruction. This area is overwhelmed with large amounts of rubble from homes and civilian objects. It is filled with destroyed infrastructure and blocked roads, hindering movement, access, and humanitarian efforts. Additionally, waste, war remnants, water source contamination, sewage network collapses, and exposed land devoid of shelter or safe displacement sites further worsen the situation.

In addition to severe overcrowding, most residents live in either worn-out tents, which offer no shelter from summer heat, winter cold, or rain, or in heavily damaged houses that could collapse at any moment. These structures are at risk due to ongoing Israeli bombardments or natural elements like wind and rain the human rights organization goes on to say.

This situation poses numerous risks to hundreds of thousands of families, such as buildings collapsing on residents, fires erupting in overcrowded tent camps, and the spread of diseases due to poor sanitation, ventilation, and lack of clean water. It also deprives them of privacy and safety, particularly affecting women, children, and the elderly, as there are no safe housing options that could help residents escape this extreme overcrowding.

The residents of the Gaza Strip face a reality that deliberately subjects them to conditions intended to undermine the Palestinian population, either partially or entirely. This includes measures such as deportation or forced transfer, with efforts to legitimise and promote this displacement internationally under misleading terms like “freedom of movement” or “voluntary emigration.”

The ongoing killings, military operations, siege, and denial of sufficient food exemplify systematic actions that undermine civilian life. These include widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure, effective denial of return, military seizure of large land areas, restrictions on access to medical, health, and educational services, obstruction of reconstruction, and forcing residents into areas lacking basic survival needs. Collectively, these practices convert any choice into a consequence of physical and psychological coercion by Israeli authorities. Any departure of residents from the Gaza Strip under these conditions therefore cannot be regarded as voluntary but falls under forced displacement, which is prohibited under international law.

The attempts to forcibly transfer the population are a direct continuation of Israel’s settler-colonial approach, which has persisted for decades and is based on policies aimed at erasing Palestinian history, space, and demographics, along with the systematic seizure of land. This phase is characterised by its rapid pace and broad scope, aiming to reach over two million people suffering from ongoing genocide. These individuals have been deprived of legal protection and basic survival means for nearly three years.

These systematic coercive measures, along with the dehumanisation they entail, are deliberately designed to force residents into a stark choice: either face physical extermination or be forced out of their homeland. This is not a voluntary decision, but a compulsory condition for survival, highlighting the Gaza Strip situation as a well-documented example of mass deportation and forcible transfer in modern legal history.

Fourth Geneva Convention

The international community and all states must unequivocally oppose any plans to depopulate Gaza or force residents to leave using misleading terms like “voluntary emigration” or “freedom of movement.” Such population movements, without safe options and under ongoing physical and psychological pressure, are not genuinely voluntary but are crimes of forced displacement. These are prohibited by the Fourth Geneva Convention and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. When this act occurs during an ongoing genocide, it triggers all states’ responsibilities to prevent and stop the crime, avoid recognising any illegal situation resulting from it, abstain from helping or supporting its continuation, and work together to end it and ensure those responsible are held accountable.

All states must implement prompt and effective punitive actions against Israel instead of merely issuing condemnation statements or broad calls. This includes applying diplomatic, economic, and military sanctions; suspending any agreements, privileges, or cooperation that enable ongoing crimes or provide political cover; enforcing a comprehensive embargo on the supply, transfer, purchase, or import of weapons, munitions, equipment, and military and security technology; freezing the assets of involved Israeli officials; and imposing travel bans on them. Maintaining normal relations with a state that commits genocide and forced displacement, or providing it with weapons, political, and economic support, can be seen as contributing to the ongoing unlawful situation. This may also violate states’ obligations to prevent and stop the crime and to avoid aiding or assisting in its commission.

The international community must act swiftly and decisively to dismantle Israel’s illegal system of control, detention, and apartheid over Palestinians, including those in the Gaza Strip. This involves forcing an immediate end to its military presence; removing barriers, buffer zones, and restricted areas that reduce the Strip’s land area and hinder residents’ access; and ensuring the prompt, unconditional return of displaced individuals to their original homes. These steps are essential to prevent de facto annexation, settler colonialism, and the forced displacement of Palestinians.

Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor urges immediate international action to lift the unlawful blockade on Gaza and establish safe, sustainable humanitarian access. This includes opening UN-supervised humanitarian corridors to allow the free flow of food, medicine, fuel, medical supplies, and shelter materials without arbitrary restrictions. The deployment of independent international monitors is crucial to verify compliance and ensure that aid and essential services are not used as tools of genocide.

Additionally, donors, states, and international organisations should move beyond merely managing the disaster through temporary relief. They need to act immediately to offer safe, dignified shelter solutions for residents, including permitting shelter materials and essential supplies to enter without restrictions, and urgently repairing health facilities, water and sewage networks, and critical infrastructure. A genuine path toward reconstruction cannot exist without lifting the blockade, ending Israeli restrictions on materials and equipment entry, ensuring residents can return to their areas, and stopping the ongoing destruction of civilian structures.

Reconstruction efforts should not replace accountability or serve to normalise the consequences of the Israeli crimes. Instead, it must compel Israel to take legal responsibility for the extensive destruction and ensure victims’ rights to reparation, compensation, and the restoration of safe living conditions on their land.

States with universal jurisdiction courts must issue arrest warrants for Israeli political and military leaders involved in the ongoing genocide and initiate legal proceedings to fulfil their international legal obligation to prosecute serious crimes and combat impunity. They must also hold accountable their citizens found to have committed violations against Palestinians, in line with their national and international legal obligations and within their territorial or personal jurisdiction.

Relevant UN agencies should urgently conduct an independent assessment of the Gaza Strip to identify the areas that are truly safe for habitation and human use. This will reveal the Israeli misrepresentation that considers nominal geographic zones as habitable. Euro-Med Monitor emphasises the importance of legally and practically distinguishing between the theoretical geographic regions still available to residents and the zones genuinely suitable for living or for safe displacement centres, which must be free of rubble, environmental and health risks, unexploded ordnance, and war remnants, EuroMed concluded.

News

Israel Sprays South Lebanon With Poison

CrossFireArabia
February 5, 2026

The Israeli army’s spraying of chemical substances over vast agricultural areas in southern Lebanon and Syria is deeply alarming. The deliberate targeting of civilian farmland violates international humanitarian law, particularly the prohibition on attacking or destroying objects indispensable to civilian survival. Large-scale destruction of private property without specific military necessity amounts to a war crime and undermines food security and basic livelihoods in the affected areas.

On the morning of Sunday, 1 February 2026, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) received notice from the Israeli army of planned aerial activity near the Blue Line and was asked to remain inside shelters. The alert disrupted the mission, leading to the cancellation of more than 10 field activities and the suspension of routine patrols along one-third of the line for over nine hours.

VIDEO | Local residents in south Lebanon have witnessed Israeli aircraft spraying unidentified chemical agents over their agricultural lands, according to a report from Al Manar.

UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said today that Israel warned UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon… pic.twitter.com/sY9M9Tpm5b
— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) February 3, 2026

During the period in which international forces were forced to remain inactive, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor documented Israeli aircraft spraying chemical substances over extensive agricultural areas, particularly in the town of Ayta ash-Shaab and its vicinity in southern Lebanon. This raises the risk of consequences beyond immediate crop damage, posing a serious threat to the rights to health and a safe environment through potential long-term contamination of soil and water resources.

The announcement by Lebanese Environment Minister Tamara Elzein that specialised teams had been dispatched to collect samples from the targeted sites for laboratory analysis reflects official concern about the possible use of internationally prohibited or highly toxic substances.

This incident cannot be viewed in isolation from the scorched-earth policy pursued by the Israeli army. It forms part of a pattern of systematic destruction of agricultural land, including the burning of approximately 9,000 hectares during recent military operations using white phosphorus and incendiary munitions.

The deliberate targeting of the means of life violates the laws of war and appears intended to undermine the living security of residents in the south and render their areas uninhabitable, thereby forcibly displacing them.

Euro-Med Monitor also documented Israeli aircraft spraying pesticides of unknown composition over farmland in the countryside of Quneitra in southern Syria on Monday and Tuesday, 26 and 27 January 2026. The direct targeting of civilian objects caused widespread crop destruction, posing a serious threat to economic and food security and violating farmers’ rights to work and to an adequate standard of living by destroying their primary sources of income without military justification.

The breach of territorial sovereignty and cross-border targeting of agricultural land constitute violations of the United Nations Charter and the principles of international law. The use of chemical substances of unknown composition, given their destructive effects on vegetation and their direct threat to public health, constitutes a grave breach of international humanitarian law, which prohibits methods or means of warfare that cause indiscriminate harm, unnecessary suffering, or widespread, long-term damage to the natural environment.

Such practices expose their perpetrators to international criminal accountability. Under Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, intentionally attacking civilian objects or destroying property without imperative military necessity constitutes a war crime. The use of chemical substances to devastate agricultural land satisfies the material elements of these crimes by inflicting widespread, long-term harm on the natural environment and the foundations of civilian life.

This conduct reflects a systematic operational pattern long implemented by Israel in border areas east and north of the Gaza Strip, where aerial spraying of lethal chemicals has been used to enforce buffer zones by destroying vegetation and dismantling the food basket, despite repeated international warnings about the catastrophic consequences for food security and public health.

Euro-Med Monitor previously documented similar attacks through a comprehensive evidentiary archive supported by laboratory analyses and expert testimony. The findings showed that the substances used were not conventional pesticides but highly toxic chemical compounds with destructive effects that are difficult to contain. The harm extended beyond seasonal crop loss to long-term contamination of soil and groundwater, damage to livestock, and the dismantling of environmental infrastructure, rendering the restoration of agricultural activity nearly impossible. Such conduct constitutes a compounded violation that strikes at the core of the rights to life and to a healthy environment.

Israel begins scorched-earth policy in occupied Syria, Lebanon

The Israeli military has started spraying herbicides to kill all vegetation near the borders with Lebanon and Syria, the Channel 15 reported, citing security concerns over militant concealment pic.twitter.com/UPVlGRzVsF
— Sprinter Press (@SprinterPress) February 3, 2026

Read within the broader context of continued military targeting of agricultural land with various munitions, these incidents reveal a systematic policy of destruction that exceeds any legitimate military objective. The approach appears intended to render agricultural areas uninhabitable by dismantling economic infrastructure and depriving residents of their fundamental means of livelihood. It amounts to collective punishment prohibited under international law and constitutes an unlawful method of pressure designed to create a coercive environment that drives forced displacement by stripping populations of the means necessary for stability and survival.

The international community, particularly the United Nations, must act immediately by establishing an independent fact-finding mission to collect samples from affected soil and crops in southern Lebanon and the countryside of Quneitra, subject them to thorough laboratory analysis, determine the chemical composition of the substances used, assess their toxicity, and evaluate any potential violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention or relevant international environmental protocols, thereby removing doubt about the nature of this targeting.

States Parties to the Geneva Conventions whose national legislation permits the exercise of universal jurisdiction must fulfil their legal obligations by initiating criminal investigations and prosecuting Israeli officials responsible for ordering environmental destruction and the use of weapons with indiscriminate effects. Such acts constitute war crimes and grave breaches not subject to statutes of limitation and require the activation of individual accountability mechanisms against those responsible, wherever they may be found.

The UN Security Council must issue a binding resolution condemning the grave Israeli crimes and consider the obstruction of UNIFIL’s work and its forced withdrawal during the violations a flagrant breach of Resolution 1701. Euro-Med Monitor stresses the need to guarantee farmers and landowners the right to fair compensation for the economic and environmental losses they have sustained, and to obligate Israel, as the aggressor, to bear the costs of land rehabilitation and the remediation of any long-term ecological damage resulting from this contamination.

The Lebanese and Syrian governments should submit formal declarations to the Registry of the International Criminal Court (ICC) under Article 12(3) of the Rome Statute, thereby accepting the Court’s jurisdiction over crimes committed on their territories.

Euro-Med Monitor emphasises that this step is now an urgent necessity to halt the continued policy of impunity and enable the ICC Prosecutor to initiate independent investigations into Israel’s attacks on civilian objects as war crimes whose consequences transcend national borders and threaten human security across the region. The announcement by Lebanese Environment Minister Tamara Elzein that specialised teams had been dispatched to collect samples from the targeted sites for laboratory analysis reflects official concern about the possible use of internationally prohibited or highly toxic substances.

Features

Starvation Centers, Death Traps

CrossFireArabia
July 19, 2025

The deaths of 21 Palestinian civilians by suffocation, crowd crush, and live fire from US security forces operating in coordination with the Israeli army at an aid distribution centre in Rafah expose the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) as an active instrument of the systematic mass killing and starvation policies imposed on Gaza.

These centres are no longer relief sites but death traps, deliberately used to lure starving crowds in scenes marked by humiliation and genocide, which constitutes a grave violation of international law and requires the immediate suspension of GHF’s operations, an urgent investigation, and full criminal accountability.

Documentation by Euro-Med Monitor’s field team revealed that the attack on Wednesday, 16 July 2025, occurred in two phases. The first happened around 4:00 a.m., when Israeli forces opened fire on thousands of civilians gathered on al-Tina Street, north of Rafah, as food aid trucks were being unloaded, resulting in multiple deaths and injuries. Despite the gunfire and casualties, thousands remained. They had no choice but to wait or starve, especially after a GHF worker told them distribution would begin at 6:00 a.m.

Those who fell to the ground could not get up and were trampled. I saw women and children among the victims, and we only managed to escape by stepping over the dead bodies lying there

Abdul Rahman B., one of the survivors

The second phase happened at 6:20 a.m., when crowds surged toward the outer gate of the distribution centre amid severe overcrowding and the closure of the inner gate. This led to a deadly crowd crush, with no safety measures or immediate intervention to prevent or contain the disaster.

Instead of organising the crowds and ensuring their safety, US special forces used pepper spray and fired sound bombs and tear gas at civilians trapped between the outer and inner gates, triggering panic and chaos. Thousands tried to escape, while some attempted to jump into the distribution centre to avoid overcrowding and certain death, only to be met with live fire as well.

The open fire and the resulting violent crowd crush caused the deaths of at least 21 Palestinians, including seven killed by live ammunition and 15 from tear gas inhalation and the crush, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza.

A review by Euro-Med Monitor of several casualties found no signs of bullet wounds, supporting the conclusion that most victims died from suffocation or being trampled in a closed, overcrowded space with no protective measures in place.

Abdul Rahman B., one of the survivors, told Euro-Med Monitor’s team: “At around 6:15 a.m., a quadcopter arrived and announced that the distribution centre had been opened and required that we head to the gates.”

“People rushed frantically toward the entrances, and when we reached the front gate, we found the inner gate closed and a heavy presence of US forces accompanied by employees speaking Arabic,” said Abdul Rahman. “They asked us to step back 50 metres and enter in groups of no more than 100, but the crowding was so intense that stepping back was impossible.”

He continued: “Minutes later, they began firing sound bombs, followed by tear gas and pepper spray. People were disoriented and suffocating. Some tried to climb the fences to escape, but snipers shot them. Those who fell to the ground could not get up and were trampled. I saw women and children among the victims, and we only managed to escape by stepping over the dead bodies lying there.”

This incident demonstrates that aid distribution centres were deliberately placed in dangerous locations, designed with narrow paths enclosed by barbed-wire fences that can be easily sealed. These routes cannot accommodate the vast numbers of people in need and are fully controlled by the Israeli army, making them resemble elaborate traps for killing and humiliation rather than corridors for humanitarian aid.

GHF, established by Israel to manage its starvation policy, issued a brief statement claiming to have opened an investigation into the incident. This follows a familiar propaganda pattern: whenever starving civilians are killed, an internal investigation is announced, its results are never released, no one is held accountable, and the same crime is repeated without consequence.

An investigation by an organisation established within a framework designed to perpetuate starvation can hardly be considered credible. Given its direct role in managing starvation, GHF must be immediately dismantled and its mandate withdrawn. It operates under the guise of humanitarian work, failing as a neutral intermediary for aid delivery.

GHF functions as a field instrument of blockade, starvation, and killing by operating distribution centres designed to humiliate civilians and gather them in tightly controlled locations under the pretext of “organising” crowds. Rather than protecting those in need, it facilitates the implementation of engineered starvation and creates a closed environment where civilians are killed in the name of humanitarian aid.

Even when a threat is alleged, international law requires security forces to apply force in a proportionate and graduated manner, using lethal force only as a last resort and in response to an imminent and real threat to life. This standard was not met in the documented cases, making the killings a grave and flagrant violation of international law.

The deliberate targeting of Palestinian civilians as they seek food, along with the use of starvation as a weapon, is a clear violation of international humanitarian and criminal law. These acts constitute war crimes under the Rome Statute, including wilful killing, targeting civilians, and using starvation as a method of warfare, all of which are strictly prohibited in armed conflicts.

The widespread and systematic nature of these violations against the civilian population fulfils the elements of crimes against humanity, particularly killing, persecution, and inhumane acts causing severe suffering or serious physical or mental harm, when committed as part of a systematic attack targeting civilians.

Placing these crimes in their broader context, including the systematic destruction of means of survival, the denial of aid access, and the imposition of deadly living conditions on the civilian population, along with public incitement by Israeli political and military figures, reveals a clear and deliberate intent to destroy the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip. According to Article II of the Genocide Convention, these acts constitute genocide, specifically through the intentional killing of members of the group and the imposition of living conditions calculated to bring about its physical destruction, in whole or in part.

The international community and complicit governments bear responsibility for the continued crimes against starving civilians at GHF-run aid distribution centres in the Gaza Strip. An immediate halt to GHF operations is essential, along with the launch of an independent international investigation leading to the prosecution of its officials before international and national courts for their involvement in systematic mass killings at distribution sites imposed by the Israeli army as a replacement for the UN mechanism that had operated in the enclave for nearly a year and a half.

International and national judicial bodies must move to hold US President Donald Trump criminally accountable for his complicity in the genocide in the Gaza Strip. This includes his adoption and direct support of the Israeli aid distribution mechanism, imposed by force and transformed into arenas of mass slaughter against starving civilians, as well as his administration’s full-scale provision of military, financial, political, and diplomatic backing that enabled Israel to commit and expand the crime for over 21 months.

The United States, through this organisation and other instruments, continues to provide political, logistical, financial, and military cover for Israel’s crimes, rendering current and former American officials, foremost among them President Donald Trump, subject to international criminal accountability.

Euro-Med Monitor calls for holding all state leaders involved in the genocide committed in the Gaza Strip accountable, whether through direct or indirect participation, by providing political, military, or financial support, or by facilitating its commission in any form. Such acts constitute criminal complicity under Article 25 of the Rome Statute. It holds states that failed to take serious measures to prevent or stop the crime legally responsible under their international obligations, particularly under the Genocide Convention.

A comprehensive and independent international investigation must be launched into the role of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in facilitating and executing serious crimes committed against Palestinian civilians. These investigations should address the individual responsibility of the organisation’s founders, directors, logistics coordinators, team leaders, and any other staff members, whether through planning, facilitating, directly contributing, or knowingly failing to prevent the commission of crimes.

We urge all states with territorial or universal jurisdiction to open immediate criminal investigations against all individuals affiliated with the GHF and its contracted private security firms, in order to hold them accountable for their role in crimes committed against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, particularly including wilful killings, starvation, and cruel or degrading treatment.

All states, both individually and collectively, must fulfil their legal responsibilities by taking urgent action to stop the genocide in the Gaza Strip, through implementing effective measures to protect Palestinian civilians; ensuring Israel’s compliance with international law and the decisions of the International Court of Justice; preventing the implementation of the US-Israeli forced displacement plan; and holding Israel and its more powerful allies accountable for all crimes against the Palestinians in the Strip. The International Criminal Court must implement the arrest warrants for the Israeli Prime Minister and Minister of Defence at the earliest opportunity, in accordance with the principle that there is no immunity for international crimes.

The international community must also impose economic, diplomatic, and military sanctions on Israel for its systematic and grave violations of international law. These sanctions should include an arms embargo; an end to all political, financial, and military support; freezing the assets of officials involved in crimes against Palestinians; imposing travel ban on these officials; suspending the operations of Israeli military and security industries companies in international markets; banning involved companies’ access to banking services; and suspending trade privileges and bilateral agreements that provide Israel with economic benefits that enable its continued crimes.

News

Israel Starves Babies to Death

CrossFireArabia
May 4, 2025

A sharp rise in adult death rates was documented among residents of the Gaza Strip, alongside alarming levels of child mortality, during the longest continuous total siege imposed by Israel since the beginning of its genocide campaign.

The escalating famine in Gaza reached catastrophic proportions amid the ongoing, illegal total blockade imposed by Israel for 62 consecutive days, preventing the entry of humanitarian aid, medicines, and basic supplies.

Dozens of deaths have been reported from malnutrition or lack of medical care. The latest is a four-month-old infant, Jenan Saleh al-Skafi, who died of severe malnutrition at Al-Rantisi Hospital in western Gaza City – amid what is called the worst campaign of systematic starvation in modern history.

The world buries its head in the sand, waiting for ‘ceasefire negotiations,’ forgetting that humanitarian aid is a non-negotiable right and that no justification can excuse starvation

Lima Bustami, Euro-Med Monitor’s Legal Department Director

All states and relevant international organisations must take immediate action to break Israel’s unlawful siege on Gaza by land, sea, and air. The siege is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and a tool of starvation used in the ongoing genocide against the civilian population.

The complete closure of all crossings must end immediately, ensuring the unhindered and effective entry of food, water, and medicine, before cases of acute malnutrition escalate into even more deadly and widespread life-threatening conditions.

Gaza: Famine reaches catastrophic levels as sharp rise in death rates documented https://t.co/vYTFeh1thm
— Joe Catron (@jncatron) May 4, 2025

Since 2 March, Israel has prevented all commercial and humanitarian supplies from entering the Gaza Strip. Food stocks are nearing depletion, and prices have soared by over 500% since October 2023, exacerbating malnutrition, particularly among children, pregnant women, the sick, and the elderly – the most vulnerable groups affected by the crisis.

The consequences of this policy are not confined to the present; they undermine the future of Palestinians as a national community by producing an entire generation threatened by long-term physical, psychological, and cognitive impairments, stemming from chronic malnutrition, the collapse of healthcare, and ongoing collective trauma.

These outcomes are not incidental. They reflect a deliberate policy aimed at disrupting the natural development of individuals and society, and dismantling the biological and social foundations of the Palestinian community. This reveals a clear intent to destroy – one of the defining hallmarks of the crime of genocide under international law, especially when executed through slow, cumulative tools such as siege and systematic, sustained starvation.

Lima Bastami, Director of the Legal Department at the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, stated: “The crime of starvation in Gaza is fully-fledged and committed in broad daylight; it requires no investigation committees or judicial rulings to prove it. It is enough to note that Israel has closed all crossings into the devastated Strip for over two months, completely banning the entry of food, medicine, and goods – a well-established reality openly acknowledged by Israeli officials without fear of accountability. Gaza is filled with irrefutable evidence of the crime’s horror: the emaciated bodies of people and children, tens of thousands lining up daily at charity kitchens, and the escalating death toll from hunger, malnutrition, and associated diseases.”

She added: “Despite this, the world buries its head in the sand, waiting for ‘ceasefire negotiations,’ forgetting that humanitarian aid is a non-negotiable right and that no justification can excuse starvation. Some states are directly complicit, but even silence or negligence constitutes active participation in perpetuating this crime. Every state, without exception, bears a legal and moral obligation to lift the blockade, ensure the flow of supplies, and save lives immediately.”

According to Chairman of the Bakers Association in Gaza, Abdul Nasser Al-Ajrami, 95% of the flour has run out in the Gaza Strip; the remaining amount in citizens’ homes will only last for a few days; after that, we will face an unprecedented phase of starvation in the Gaza Strip. pic.twitter.com/hDwudvL3Zb
— Chris Hutchinson (@ChrisHu34451470) May 1, 2025

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, around 60,000 children require urgent treatment for severe malnutrition, and approximately 16,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women are in desperate need of healthcare, while families across the Strip face unimaginable hardship amid a worsening hunger crisis, ongoing displacement, a collapsed healthcare system, and relentless Israeli military attacks.

Community kitchens in Gaza, once a critical lifeline for hundreds of thousands of displaced and needy individuals, have been among the sectors most severely impacted. Previously distributing tens of thousands of meals daily, they have now ceased operations entirely, with nothing left to distribute, exacerbating the devastation in the face of a sweeping famine.

The severe Israeli blockade has caused a persistent and critical shortage of essential foods necessary for survival, including grains, proteins, and fats. It has also destroyed and disrupted what remained of Gaza’s agricultural and food infrastructure through bombardment and direct military occupation. Many residents have been forced to sell their essential belongings to buy food, a clear indicator of the collapse of their coping mechanisms.

Families across Gaza have been compelled to drastically reduce their daily meals, leading to a significant decline in the population’s body weights, with the majority now relying almost entirely on the few available canned goods, in the absence of fresh, nutritious food. Furthermore, families have come to depend on charitable kitchens for their daily meals, which the Israeli army has increasingly targeted in airstrikes, in a deliberate attempt to deprive the population of even the most basic access to food.

The term “famine” is a technical classification referring to widespread malnutrition and deaths related to hunger resulting from the inability to access food. International standards define three main conditions for an area to be declared in a state of famine:

At least 20% of the population is suffering from extreme levels of hunger.
30% of children are experiencing acute wasting (severe thinness relative to their height).
A doubling of the mortality rate compared to the normal average — that is, one death per day for every 10,000 adults, or two deaths per day for every 10,000 children.

The crime of starvation committed by Israel against civilians in the Gaza Strip constitutes one of the most extreme and brutal forms of genocide, stripping victims of their health and dignity. It is not limited to the deprivation of food but also seeks to eliminate the population’s ability to survive by destroying livelihoods, blocking humanitarian aid, targeting sources of production, and disrupting supply chains.

All states, individually and collectively, must uphold their legal responsibilities and act urgently to halt the genocide occurring in Gaza by all available means. They must take effective measures to protect Palestinian civilians, enforce immediate and complete lifting of the siege, ensure the free movement of people and goods without arbitrary restrictions, and open all crossings unconditionally. Concrete steps must also be taken to save Palestinians from slow death and forced displacement, including implementing an urgent and appropriate humanitarian response to meet immediate needs, such as providing temporary and dignified shelter.

The international community must impose economic, diplomatic, and military sanctions on Israel for its grave and systematic violations of international law. This includes banning the export and import of arms to and from Israel, halting military cooperation, and freezing the financial assets of officials implicated in crimes against Palestinians. It must also suspend trade privileges and bilateral agreements that grant Israel economic advantages, thereby increasing pressure to end its crimes.

States parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention must fulfil their obligation under Common Article 1 to respect and ensure respect for the Convention in all circumstances. They must act to halt Israeli policies that violate the most basic humanitarian standards and threaten the lives of millions of civilians.

The International Criminal Court must expedite its investigations and issue arrest warrants against Israeli officials involved in international crimes committed in Gaza. Furthermore, it must recognise and address the atrocities committed by Israel as genocide without equivocation. States parties to the Rome Statute are reminded of their legal obligations to fully cooperate with the Court, ensure the execution of arrest warrants, and bring perpetrators to justice, denying them impunity once and for all.

Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor