Meloni and several ministers face an ICC complaint alleging complicity in genocide, as lawyers cite continued arms cooperation with Israel and failure to protect the Global Sumud Flotilla.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Tuesday that she and several senior members of her government have been reported to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague for alleged complicity in genocide, in connection with Israel’s ongoing genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.
Speaking to Italy’s state broadcaster RAI, Meloni stated, “I, along with (Defense) Minister (Guido) Crosetto and Foreign Affairs) Minister (Antonio) Tajani, and I believe also the CEO of Leonardo, Roberto Cingolani, are targeted by a complaint before the International Criminal Court for complicity in genocide.”
Meloni said she was “amazed” by the accusations, asserting that “anyone who knows the situation is aware that Italy has not authorized new, let’s say, arms supplies to Israel after October 7.”
However, similar cases have been filed elsewhere in Europe. In Germany, legal complaints have been submitted to the ICC and domestic courts against government officials and arms manufacturers for their alleged role in facilitating Israel’s military operations in Gaza.
Additionally, over 100 French lawyers have also formally asked the ICC to investigate France’s complicity in genocide relating to Gaza.
"Non conto più le minacce di morte, e chi mi dice che ho le mani sporche di sangue ne è responsabile. Ma lei sa cosa vuol dire essere complici di genocidio? Lo dicono sapendo che è falso. Non vendiamo armi ad Israele e siamo il Paese europeo più rigido" #portaaporta pic.twitter.com/FJkGI9CUZX
— Il Grande Flagello (@grande_flagello) October 7, 2025
The Complaint
The complaint, which is dated October 1, was signed by around 50 individuals, including law professors, lawyers, and public figures.
The text of the complaint states, “By supporting the Israeli government, particularly in supplying lethal weapons, the Italian government has made itself a partner in the ongoing genocide and serious war crimes and crimes against humanity committed against the Palestinian people.”
According to the Italian outlet La Via Libera, two legal initiatives have been launched by the group Giuristi e Avvocati per la Palestina (GAP – Jurists and Lawyers for Palestine), recently established to pursue accountability for Italy’s role in the war on Gaza.
The first action, filed before the ICC, accuses the Italian government of complicity in war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. The second concerns the government’s alleged failure to protect the Global Sumud Flotilla, a civilian fleet carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza that was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters.
Lawyer Gianluca Vitale, one of GAP’s promoters, explained in a statement that the group seeks proceedings against Meloni, Tajani, Crosetto, and Cingolani. “If there is substantial cooperation with Israeli authorities who are committing crimes,” Vitale said, “then Italian authorities are participating in those crimes.”
Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, along with Defence Minister Guido Crosetto, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, and Leonardo CEO Roberto Cingolani, have been named to the ICC for complicity in Israel's ongoing genocide on Gaza.
The complaint, filed by international legal and human… pic.twitter.com/9vU9MB0S9e
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) October 8, 2025
The initiative, supported by more than fifty figures from Italian cultural and political life—including Moni Ovadia, Tomaso Montanari, Alessandro Di Battista, Luigi De Magistris, and Laura Morante—has already gathered nearly 6,000 citizen endorsements.
The complaint points to Italy’s continued military cooperation with Israel, including the supply of weapons and ammunition, despite UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese’s earlier call to suspend such ties. While the Italian government halted new export licenses after October 7, 2023, it has allowed existing contracts to proceed.
The report cites, in particular, maintenance contracts between Leonardo and the Israeli military for training aircraft and helicopters, which CEO Cingolani recently confirmed in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.
It also condemns Italy’s decision to suspend funding to UNRWA, the UN agency providing aid to Palestinian refugees, even though an independent UN commission dismissed Israeli allegations against the agency.
Finally, the group links the government’s inaction to the Israeli navy’s interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla, arguing that the raid occurred in international waters “where Israel has no legitimate authority,” and could therefore amount to piracy, as well as unlawful detention.
“Italy,” the text concludes, “has so far completely abstained from taking any preventive measures to stop the genocide, and has instead stubbornly continued to fuel it.”
Italy has witnessed large-scale demonstrations in recent weeks, with millions of people taking to the streets to protest against the ongoing mass killings in Gaza.
Many protesters have directly accused Meloni’s right-wing government of complicity in Israel’s assault.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
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