Around a hundred relatives of hostages still held in the Gaza Strip are traveling to The Hague on Wednesday February 14 to file a complaint against Hamas for
“crimes against humanity”
with the International Criminal Court (ICC), their representatives announced. .
Some 250 people were kidnapped in southern Israel during the Hamas attack on October 7 and 130 of them are still being held in Gaza, of whom 29 are believed to have died, according to Israel.
“It's not just our story, if we don't stop this, tomorrow it will be the story of the whole world
,” said Ofri Bibas, whose brother is among the hostages, shortly before boarding the a special flight to The Hague.
“All humanity must remain firm in the face of a global terrorist army of which Hamas is only one of the battalions carrying out its mission
,” she added.
According to Haïm Rubinstein, of the Collective of Hostage Families, a complaint will be filed with the ICC
“against the members of Hamas and their collaborators to ensure that they pay the high price for the crimes against humanity that “They have committed and are still committing at this very moment
,” he said during a televised press briefing from Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.
Investigations
The families of hostages continue to put pressure on the Israeli authorities for the release of their loved ones, whose fate has haunted society for more than four months.
A truce at the end of November between Hamas and Israel, which is carrying out military operations in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for the October 7 attack, allowed the release of around a hundred people, in exchange for the release of detained Palestinian prisoners. by Israel.
Established in 2002, the ICC is the world's only independent court established to investigate the most serious crimes, such as genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
On Monday, ICC prosecutor Karim Khan expressed concern about a possible offensive by the Israeli army in Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip where many Palestinians are refugees, warning that those who violate the laws international will be pursued.
He also called for the release of all hostages held by Hamas and its allies, saying that
“this also represents an important point in our investigations”
.
Additionally, Egypt, a traditional mediator in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, hosted the US and Israeli intelligence directors, as well as the head of the Qatari government, on Tuesday for talks on a truce including a further release of hostages.