A leading human rights lawyer in the UK is set to file a war crimes complaint against ten British citizens who served in the Israeli military with the Metropolitan Police.
Michael Mansfield KC, along with a team of lawyers, will submit a detailed 240-page dossier to Scotland Yard’s war crimes unit on Monday.
This report, prepared by UK legal experts and researchers in The Hague, alleges that these individuals were involved in the deliberate killing of civilians and aid workers, indiscriminate bombings of civilian regions including hospitals, and attacks on protected sites.
The suspects, whose identities remain confidential for legal reasons, are accused of coordinating attacks on historical and religious sites and forcibly displacing civilians.
The Israeli government has consistently denied allegations of war crimes linked to its military actions in Gaza, which have resulted in over 50,000 deaths, predominantly among civilians.
These military actions were in retaliation to the attack by Hamas on 7 October 2023, which resulted in over 1,200 deaths, mostly civilians, in southern Israel.
Mansfield, renowned for his involvement in high-profile legal cases such as Grenfell Tower and Stephen Lawrence, emphasized the responsibility of British nationals to avoid colluding with crimes in Palestine, stating that “no one is above the law.”
The report has been developed on behalf of the Gaza-based Palestinian Centre for Human Rights and the UK’s Public Interest Law Centre, documenting alleged crimes from October 2023 to May 2024.
The dossier, which includes witness testimonies and open-source evidence, highlights shocking incidents such as the desecration of bodies at a medical facility.
Legal professionals, including Sean Summerfield, stress the strength of the evidence and the public’s likely shock upon learning that British nationals could be involved in such serious crimes.
The complaint urges the investigation and prosecution of these individuals under international treaties, with Britain having a clear duty to address such “core international crimes” as stipulated by the International Criminal Court Act 2001.
This action is supported by numerous legal and human rights experts, advocating for accountability and justice.
