IDF reportedly to publish war crimes probe following ICC arrest orders for Israeli leaders
The Israeli military is reportedly preparing to release the findings from its probe into alleged war crimes committed by IDF soldiers, according to informed sources.
The decision comes on the heels of the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) unprecedented decision to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over over ‘war crimes, starvation, crimes against humanity’ in Gaza.
This is the first time in its history that the ICC has issued arrest warrants for democratically elected leaders. Furthermore, critics in Israel and elsewhere have blasted the ICC for creating a false symmetry between the democratic State of Israel and the Iranian-backed Hamas terrorist organization.
The Israeli government and the Israeli military have denied the allegations that Israel has committed “genocide” and “war crimes” in Gaza.
The Israeli military's legal action is likely aimed at alleviating some of the international pressure on the Israeli government to investigate these allegations.
The IDF has consistently maintained that it frequently risks the lives of its own soldiers to minimize civilian casualties when operating in the challenging urban terrain of Gaza. According to the IDF, Hamas fighters deliberately position themselves among civilians — a tactic classified as a war crime under international law.
The ongoing war in Gaza began on Oct. 7 of last year when Hamas terrorists massacred 1,200 Israeli men, women and children in southern Israeli border communities. In addition, Hamas terrorists kidnapped 251 Israelis and foreign nationals into Gaza, both living and deceased. Of those, 96 hostages still remain in Gaza after more than a year of captivity.
John Spencer, the head of Urban Warfare Studies at West Point, argued in June that the Israeli military has done more to prevent civilian casualties than any other military in the world, including the U.S. military.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
