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Days of Palestine
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Days of Palestine
Complaint Filed in Paris Against Two French-Israeli Snipers Accused of War Crimes in Gaza
DaysofPal – The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), in collaboration with five partner organizations, has filed a war crimes complaint in Paris targeting two French-Israeli soldiers. The legal action accuses the men, identified as Sasha A. and Gabriel B., of committing grave violations of international law during Israel's military campaign in Gaza. The complaint, submitted to the Paris Judicial Court, alleges the two snipers—both members of the Israeli forces' notorious 'Ghost Unit'—deliberately targeted and killed civilians, including children. They are further accused of genocide, torture, and war crimes. Filed jointly by FIDH, the French Human Rights League (LDH), Al-Haq, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), and the French-Palestinian Solidarity Association, the legal action marks a rare effort to hold dual-national combatants accountable in their country of citizenship. Since October 7, 2023, Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip—supported by the United States—has resulted in more than 190,000 Palestinians killed or injured, according to Palestinian sources. The majority of the victims are women and children, with over 11,000 people still missing and hundreds of thousands displaced. At the same time, violence has surged across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Israeli forces and settlers have intensified assaults on Palestinian communities, resulting in at least 988 deaths and nearly 7,000 injuries to date. The legal complaint represents a significant milestone in the broader push to pursue accountability for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during Israel's ongoing assault on the occupied Palestinian territories. It also underscores growing momentum in Europe to investigate dual nationals who may have participated in overseas military operations that violate international humanitarian law. Should the Paris court accept the case, it could open the door for broader judicial scrutiny into the actions of foreign fighters with links to European countries—and challenge the legal impunity often enjoyed by individuals involved in cross-border military campaigns. Shortlink for this post:
The National
01-07-2025
- Politics
- The National
Lawsuit seeks prosecution of French-Israeli 'Ghost Unit' snipers in Gaza
Human rights activists on Tuesday filed a lawsuit at a Paris court alleging that two French-Israeli snipers committed war crimes in Gaza between November 2023 and March last year. The two men, identified as Sasha A. and Gabriel P., are known to be members of a 20-strong sniper group in the Israeli army's paratroopers brigade known as the Ghost Unit, half of which is composed of dual nationals. It stands accused of shooting at unarmed civilians in Gaza, which would constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, activists said. The complaint, lodged at the war crimes unit of the Paris tribunal, is based on an investigation by Palestinian journalist Younis Tirawi that he published on X in October last year. It includes an interview with a US-born sergeant who led the Ghost Unit. 'The fact that they are members of this elite unit under the orders of this sergeant indicates that they are authors, or co-authors, or at least accomplices of crimes under international law,' vice-president of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Alexis Deswaef, told The National. 'They can be prosecuted and judged even if they are physically absent,' Mr Deswaef said. 'It's important that the judiciary does its work because impunity breeds further impunity.' In Mr Tirawi's investigation, the sergeant, speaking Hebrew, identifies killings executed by members of his team in a video shown to him by an unnamed interviewer. The context of the interview, in which the sergeant openly discusses his unit's operations, remains unclear. The sergeant claims all of the snipers' victims were 'terrorists'. According to translated captions, he says: 'They want to exploit our humaneness. They think, 'oh I don't think they'll shoot us because we're in civilian clothes, because we don't lift up our weapons' and all that, but they were wrong and that's what snipers are for.' The FIDH filed the lawsuit along with its Palestinian and French member organisations – Al-Haq, Al Mezan, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, and France's Human Rights League (LDH) – as well as the Association France Palestine Solidarite (AFPS). It includes testimonies compiled by Al Mezan of Gazans who describe being shot by snipers as they attempted to retrieve the bodies of their relatives. One witness, who lost his 17-year old daughter, said that she was shot in the head as she was fetching water. Another described the death of his three sons at the hands of Israeli snipers. 'The convergence of witness accounts and the visual documentation presented by Tirawi strongly points to the involvement of the same snipers in a co-ordinated campaign of extrajudicial killings across various locations in Gaza,' said Issam Younes, general director of Al Mezan. ' France must ensure that these crimes do not go unpunished and guarantee the prosecution of those responsible, especially when they are its own nationals,' said Emmanuel Daoud, lawyer for LDH and AFPS. The Israeli army is believed to include 4,000 French citizens. The lawsuit comes six months after the FIDH and other NGOs filed a lawsuit at the crimes against humanity division of the Paris judicial court against another French-Israeli soldier, Yoel O., who published a video in which he appears to insult Palestinian detainees presenting signs of torture. A first lawsuit filed by the same human rights groups in April last year was dismissed by the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office, which mentioned an 'insufficiently characterised offence'. Investigations were also launched last year into members of the 'Ghost Unit' in Belgium and South Africa. Its members include three US nationals, two French, one Belgian, one South African, one Italian and other Israelis with unknown dual nationality, according to Mr Tirawi.
News24
24-06-2025
- Politics
- News24
Call for US-backed Gaza aid group to shut down, warning of ‘war crimes' complicity
More than a dozen human rights organisations on Monday called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), whose aid distribution has seen chaotic and deadly scenes, to cease its operations, warning of possible complicity in war crimes. 'This new model of privatised, militarised aid distribution constitutes a radical and dangerous shift away from established international humanitarian relief operations,' the 15 organisations said in an open letter. It called the US-backed group's operations 'dehumanising, repeatedly deadly and (contributing) to the forced displacement of the very population it purports to help'. The groups urged GHF and all the organisations and individuals who have been supporting its work, to 'to cease their operations'. 'Failure to do so may expose these organisations... to further risk of criminal and civil liability for aiding and abetting or otherwise being complicit in crimes under international law, including war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide in violation of international law,' the letter warned. READ | Israel's Netanyahu justifies Iran strikes as 'contributing to the successes in Gaza' The signatories include the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, the American Center for Constitutional Rights, and the International Commission of Jurists. An officially private effort with opaque funding, GHF began operations on 26 May after Israel completely cut off supplies into Gaza for more than two months, sparking warnings of mass famine. AFP The United Nations and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the foundation over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives. According to figures issued by the health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, at least 450 people have been killed and nearly 3 500 injured since GHF began distributing meal boxes in late May. GHF has denied responsibility for deaths near its aid points, contradicting statements from witnesses and Gaza rescue services. The EU said on Monday that Israel must improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza or else face possible consequences, after a review of a cooperation deal found it fell short of its human-rights obligations. The European Union's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said the bloc hopes to use a review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement to pressure Israel to ease suffering in the Palestinian territory and allow more aid into the strip. 'We will contact Israel to present our findings and look at how we can improve the situation on the ground,' Kallas told a press conference after presenting the review's findings at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels. 'If the situation does not improve, then we can discuss further measures', she said, adding this would happen in July. Antoine Jaussaud/Hans Lucas via AFP In June, the bloc launched an audit of the EU-Israel deal, which forms the basis for trade ties, under one of its articles calling for respect of human rights. It marked a milestone of sorts, given the EU has long struggled to have an impact on the Mideast conflict due to longstanding divisions between countries that back Israel and those seen as more pro-Palestinian. The review found Israel's conduct in Gaza ran afoul of its obligations. The text seen by AFP cited Israel's blockade of humanitarian aid, the high number of civilian casualties, and the massive population displacements among possible rights violations. 'Our main concern is humanitarian aid distribution,' Kallas told reporters. We see the humanitarian aid behind the borders, but it doesn't reach the people. Kaja Kallas What action Brussels might take if things do not improve is not clear, as the war in Iran has moved the goalposts and pushed some nations to voice renewed support for Israel. Some countries would like to suspend the EU-Israel accord outright but that would require unanimity among member states - something diplomats have said is virtually impossible. Halting diplomatic dialogue with Israel - a measure already rejected last year - also requires backing from all EU countries. Trade measures could instead be adopted with a qualified majority, and Kallas hinted the EU response could go in that direction. Asked about a nine-country call for Brussels to come up with a plan to end trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank that are illegal under international law, she said that was 'one of the measures that could be taken'.
Malay Mail
24-06-2025
- Health
- Malay Mail
Rights groups call for Gaza aid foundation shutdown, warn of complicity in war crimes
NEW YORK, June 24 — More than a dozen human rights organisations called Monday on the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), whose aid distribution has seen chaotic and deadly scenes, to cease its operations, warning of possible complicity in war crimes. 'This new model of privatised, militarised aid distribution constitutes a radical and dangerous shift away from established international humanitarian relief operations,' the 15 organisations said in an open letter. It called the US-backed group's operations 'dehumanising, repeatedly deadly and (contributing) to the forced displacement of the very population it purports to help.' The groups urged GHF and all the organisations and individuals who have been supporting its work, to 'to cease their operations.' 'Failure to do so may expose these organisations... to further risk of criminal and civil liability for aiding and abetting or otherwise being complicit in crimes under international law, including war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide in violation of international law,' the letter warned. The signatories include the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, the American Center for Constitutional Rights, and the International Commission of Jurists. An officially private effort with opaque funding, GHF began operations on May 26 after Israel completely cut off supplies into Gaza for more than two months, sparking warnings of mass famine. The United Nations and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the foundation over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives. According to figures issued by the health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, at least 450 people have been killed and nearly 3,500 injured since GHF began distributing meal boxes in late May. GHF has denied responsibility for deaths near its aid points, contradicting statements from witnesses and Gaza rescue services. — AFP
Arab News
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
NGOs urge closing of Gaza aid group, warn of possible ‘war crimes' liability
UNITED NATIONS, United States: More than a dozen human rights organizations called Monday on the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), whose aid distribution has seen chaotic and deadly scenes, to cease its operations, warning of possible complicity in war crimes. 'This new model of privatized, militarized aid distribution constitutes a radical and dangerous shift away from established international humanitarian relief operations,' the 15 organizations said in an open letter. It called the US-backed group's operations 'dehumanizing, repeatedly deadly and (contributing) to the forced displacement of the very population it purports to help.' The groups urged GHF and all the organizations and individuals who have been supporting its work, to 'to cease their operations.' 'Failure to do so may expose these organizations... to further risk of criminal and civil liability for aiding and abetting or otherwise being complicit in crimes under international law, including war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide in violation of international law,' the letter warned. The signatories include the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, the American Center for Constitutional Rights, and the International Commission of Jurists. An officially private effort with opaque funding, GHF began operations on May 26 after Israel completely cut off supplies into Gaza for more than two months, sparking warnings of mass famine. The United Nations and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the foundation over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives. According to figures issued by the health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, at least 450 people have been killed and nearly 3,500 injured since GHF began distributing meal boxes in late May. GHF has denied responsibility for deaths near its aid points, contradicting statements from witnesses and Gaza rescue services.
