Dutch Court to Hear Appeal over Gantz War Crimes in Gaza

Benny Gantz. (Photo: File)

A Dutch court will hear an appeal next week against Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz for his alleged role in the murder of a family during Israel’s 2014 military offensive on the Gaza Strip, Middle East Monitor reported on Saturday.

The Israeli air force bombed Ismail Ziada’s family home in the Al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on July 20, 2014.

Ziada’s 70-year-old mother, three of his brothers, the wife of one of his brothers, his 12-year-old nephew, and a visitor who happened to be at the house at the time of the attack were killed. Gantz was chief of staff of the Israel Defence Forces at that time.

Dutch-Palestinian Ziada sued the Israelis for more than $600,000 in damages plus court costs. A court in the Netherlands dismissed the case last year because the alleged crimes were committed while Gantz acted in an official capacity.

It also argued that it did not have jurisdiction in this case, despite the fact that, under the 1949 Geneva Conventions, universal jurisdiction allows domestic courts to prosecute individuals for serious crimes that did not take place on their territory or were committed by their nationals.

(MEMO, PC, Social Media)

(The Palestine Chronicle is a registered 501(c)3 organization, thus, all donations are tax deductible.)
Our Vision For Liberation: Engaged Palestinian Leaders & Intellectuals Speak Out