The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross is visiting Gaza in an effort to ease the conflict’s “intolerable” toll on civilians, the organization said Monday. ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric “will call for the protection of civilians in Gaza and respect for the laws of war. She will also reiterate the ICRC’s call for the hostages to be immediately released,” it said in a statement.
Quick Read
- ICRC President’s Visit to Gaza: Mirjana Spoljaric, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), is visiting Gaza to address the severe impact of the conflict on civilians. She is advocating for the protection of civilians and respect for the laws of war.
- ICRC’s Call for Hostage Release: The ICRC has reiterated its call for the immediate release of hostages held in the conflict.
- Humanitarian Efforts in Gaza: The ICRC is providing supplies to healthcare facilities and support for displaced people. Its medical teams are assisting with surgeries at Gaza’s European Hospital.
- Turkish President’s Statement on Netanyahu: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the “butcher of Gaza” and suggested that Netanyahu could be tried for alleged war crimes, comparing him to former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic.
- Criticism of the U.N. Security Council: Erdogan criticized the U.N. Security Council for failing to take action to stop the violence, pointing to the disparity between the majority of countries calling for peace and the few countries supporting Israel.
- Dutch Court Case on Fighter Jet Parts: Human rights lawyers in the Netherlands are seeking an injunction to halt the export of fighter jet parts to Israel, arguing that this makes the Netherlands complicit in potential war crimes by Israel.
- Dutch Government’s Position: The Dutch government’s lawyer argued that even if the exports were stopped, the U.S. would supply these parts to Israel from another location.
The Associated Press has the story:
Red Cross Chief: Gaza’s civilians suffering is ‘Intolerable’
Newslooks- GENEVA
The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross is visiting Gaza in an effort to ease the conflict’s “intolerable” toll on civilians, the organization said Monday.
ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric “will call for the protection of civilians in Gaza and respect for the laws of war. She will also reiterate the ICRC’s call for the hostages to be immediately released,” it said in a statement.
“The level of human suffering is intolerable,” Spoljaric said. “It is unacceptable that civilians have no safe place to go in Gaza, and with a military siege in place there is also no adequate humanitarian response currently possible.”
The ICRC has been providing supplies to health care facilities and livelihood support for displaced people, the statement said. ICRC medical teams are also helping conduct surgeries at Gaza’s European Hospital.
“We have urgently appealed for civilian life to be protected and respected on all sides, in line with international humanitarian law, and I reiterate that appeal today,” Spoljaric said.
TURKISH PRESIDENT SAYS NETANYAHU SHOULD BE TRIED FOR ALLEGED WAR CRIMES
ISTANBUL — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be put on trial for alleged war crimes just like former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic.
A vocal critic of Israel’s actions in Gaza, Erdogan once again referred to Netanyahu as the “butcher of Gaza.”
“Netanyahu, the butcher of Gaza, is not only a war criminal, but he will definitely be tried as the butcher of Gaza, just like Milosevic was tried,” Erdogan said in a speech at a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul.
The Israeli prime minister would need to be indicted by an international tribunal in order to stand trial for alleged war crimes. Milosevic was put on trial by a U.N. tribunal in The Hague on charges of fomenting bloody conflicts as Yugoslavia crumbled in the early 1990s. He died in his cell before the court could reach a verdict.
Erdogan also renewed his criticism of the United Nations system, accusing the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council of blocking efforts to end the violence.
“On the one side, there are 121 countries that say ‘stop the war’ and ‘no more bloodshed,’ and on the other side, there are three or five countries that give carte blanche to Israel’s attacks,” Erdogan said.
RIGHTS GROUPS CALL FOR A HALT IN DUTCH EXPORTS OF FIGHTER JET PARTS TO ISRAEL
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Human rights lawyers went to court in the Netherlands on Monday calling for a halt to the export of fighter jet parts to Israel that could be used in attacks on Gaza.
The rights organizations say that delivery of parts for F-35 jets makes the Netherlands complicit in possible war crimes by Israel in its war with Hamas.
The civil case in The Hague opened as the Israeli military renewed calls for mass evacuations from the southern town of Khan Younis, where tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians have sought refuge in recent weeks, as it widened its ground offensive and bombarded targets across the Gaza Strip.
The rights lawyers want The Hague District Court to issue an injunction banning exports of F-35 parts that are stored in a warehouse in the town of Woensdrecht.
“The state must immediately stop its delivery of F-35 parts to Israel,” lawyer Liesbeth Zegveld told the court.
She said Dutch customs officials asked the government if it wanted to continue exports after the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas that triggered the Israel-Hamas war.
“The warning that the fighter jets can contribute to serious breaches of the laws of war does not, for the (Dutch) state outweigh its economic interests and diplomatic reputation,” she said.
Government lawyer Reimer Veldhuis urged the court’s single judge to reject the injunction, saying that even if it were to uphold the rights lawyers’ legal arguments and ban exports, “the United States would deliver these parts to Israel from another place.”
A decision is expected within two weeks. It can be appealed.
