The families of hostages taken by the Hamas militant group have filed a complaint at the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague, claiming war crimes and demanding an investigation.
In a statement, Raz Ben Ami, who is a hostage who was freed and whose husband Ohad remains a captive in Gaza, said that the love of her life was still being held hostage. While near the ICC's headquarters, she stood in the rain as families and activists waved Israeli flags and chanted "Bring them home now!"
The Hamas terrorist group attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing roughly 1,200 people and taking about 200 others captive. The incident sparked an immediate Israel offensive in the Gaza Strip, which has laid waste to much of the densely populated region and killed more than 28,000 Palestinians.
Israel is not a member of the ICC and does not recognize its jurisdiction, but the Palestinian territories were admitted as members of the international court in 2015. This week, prosecutor Karim Khan reaffirmed that the court has jurisdiction over the events of Oct. 7, 2023, noting that they form part of the ICC's investigation, as per Reuters.
The survivors of the Hamas group's initial attack and the families of the victims want the ICC to target the militant group's leaders with arrest warrants. Shelly Aviv Yeini from the Hostage Families Forum said that they trust the ICC has the capacity to bring justice for the hostages and their families.
She added that The Hague event also aimed to apply pressure on officials to work on the release of the hostages in Gaza. Udi Goren, the cousin of 41-year-old Tal Haimi who was among those that were taken by the militants and later confirmed dead, spoke at Israel's Ben Gurion airport before traveling to The Hague.
International Criminal Court's Investigation
He said that they want to make sure that the leaders of the militant group are taken into custody or made so that they cannot leave Qatar anymore. Goren added that they hoped that their efforts put pressure on the group to release the hostages.
There were roughly 100 family members of hostages who were part of the delegation that traveled to The Hague to file the complaint. They were accompanied by several dozen lawyers who helped draft the legal submission to the ICC, according to the Times of Israel.
The court is empowered to prosecute individuals for serious violations of the Geneva Conventions that amount to war crimes. However, this is only if they are citizens of signatory states and entities.
For many of the families who joined the effort, the lodging of the complaint was about accountability as well as part of their efforts to call attention to the captivity of their loved ones. Israel believes that there are still roughly 130 hostages in Gaza, 29 of whom are said to be dead and the other 101 are alive. Hagit Chen, whose 20-year-old Israel soldier Itay Chen is among the hostages, said that they hope Khan can help them achieve justice, said CNN.
