UK police assessing report accusing Britons of war crimes in Gaza
LONDON — The Metropolitan Police is deciding what action to take after receiving a report accusing 10 British nationals of war crimes and crimes against humanity while they served in Israel's military in Gaza.
The 240-page report "will now be assessed by specialist officers to determine whether any UK-based investigation may be required", a Counter Terrorism Policing spokesperson said.
A summary of the dossier accused the Britons of being involved in the forced displacement of civilians and coordinated attacks on protected sites.
BBC News has contacted the Israel Defense Forces for a response. Israel previously described a report accusing it of similar crimes as "completely false".
The new dossier, submitted to the Met's War Crimes Team on behalf of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights and the Public Interest Law Centre, said the offences took place between October 2023 and May 2024.
The 10 British nationals have not been named publicly. They are accused of "indiscriminate attacks" on civilian areas, including hospitals, and the "targeted killing" of civilians and aid workers.Some served at officer level in the Israeli military, according to the summary of the report, and some were Israeli dual nationals.The Met has received around 180 referrals relating to the war in Gaza since the conflict began."At this time, there is no UK-based investigation into any matters relating to this particular conflict," a statement from the force added.Human rights lawyer Michael Mansfield KC, one of those behind the report, called on the Met to take it "seriously", "investigate" and try the individuals if proven.The war in Gaza was triggered by Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel on 7 October 2023. About 1,200 people were killed and 251 others taken back to Gaza as hostages.More than 50,750 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's retaliatory offensive since then, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry. — BBC
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
an hour ago
- Al Arabiya
US, China seek to extend trade truce with London talks
After a round of talks in Geneva last month, the United States and China will sit down at the negotiating table in London on Monday to attempt to preserve a fragile truce on trade, despite simmering tensions. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will lead the US delegation, President Donald Trump announced Friday. Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng -- who led Beijing's negotiating team in Geneva -- will also head the team in London, China's foreign ministry announced at the weekend. 'The meeting should go very well,' Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. His press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, told Fox News on Sunday: 'We want China and the United States to continue moving forward with the agreement that was struck in Geneva.' While the government of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer reiterated that it was not involved in the content of the discussions in any way, a spokesperson said, 'We are a nation that champions free trade.' UK authorities 'have always been clear that a trade war is in nobody's interests, so we welcome these talks,' the spokesperson added. 'Correcting the course' The talks in London come just a few days after Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping finally held their first publicly announced telephone talks since the Republican returned to the White House. Trump said the call, which took place on Thursday, had reached a 'very positive conclusion.' Xi was quoted by state-run news agency Xinhua as saying that 'correcting the course of the big ship of Sino-US relations requires us to steer well and set the direction.' The call came after tensions between the world's two biggest economies had soared, with Trump accusing Beijing of violating a tariff de-escalation deal reached in Geneva in mid-May. 'We need China to comply with their side of the deal. And so that's what the trade team will be discussing tomorrow,' Leavitt said Sunday. In April, Trump introduced sweeping worldwide tariffs that targeted China most heavily. At one point the United States hit China with additional levies of 145 percent on its goods as both sides engaged in tit-for-tat escalation. China's countermeasures on US goods reached 125 percent. Then in Switzerland, after two days of talks, the two sides agreed to slash their staggeringly high tariffs for 90 days. But differences have persisted, including over China's restrictions on the export of rare earth minerals used in tech products. The impact was reflected in the latest official export data released Monday in Beijing. Exports to the United States fell 12.7 percent on month in May, with China shipping $28.8 billion worth in goods last month. This is down from $33 billion in April, according to Beijing's General Administration of Customs. 'Green channel' Throughout its talks with Washington, China also has launched discussions with other trading partners -- including Japan and South Korea -- in a bid to build a united front to counter Trump's tariffs. On Thursday, Beijing turned to Canada, with the two sides agreeing to regularize their channels of communication after a period of strained ties. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Chinese Premier Li Qiang also discussed trade and the fentanyl crisis, Ottawa said. Beijing proposed establishing a 'green channel' to ease the export of rare earths to the European Union, and fast-tracking approval of some export licenses. That proposal from the commerce ministry in Beijing came after talks on Tuesday between China's Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic. China is expected to host a summit with the EU in July, marking 50 years since Beijing and Brussels established diplomatic ties.
Saudi Gazette
7 hours ago
- Saudi Gazette
Israel says Hamas Gaza chief Sinwar's body identified
JERUSALEM — The Israeli military has said it has located and identified the body of Mohammed Sinwar, the military leader of the Palestinian armed group Hamas in Gaza. His body was discovered in a tunnel underneath the European Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Sunday. It said it had verified the body's identity through DNA checks — though Hamas has not publicly confirmed his death. Sinwar, 49, was killed in an air strike on 13 May, which the Hamas-run civil defense agency said killed 28 people and injured dozens. Sinwar's body was found alongside that of Mohammad Sabaneh, the commander of Hamas's Rafah Brigade, the IDF said. It added that "several items belonging to Sinwar and Sabaneh were located, along with additional intelligence findings that were transferred for further investigation". The IDF said other bodies were found, which it was looking to identify. It took a small group of foreign journalists into Gaza to Khan Younis to show them the tunnel on Sunday. It also published video of the small entrance to the tunnel, accessible through freshly dug earth just in front of the European Hospital. The footage shows a long, narrow underground corridor that leads to several rooms. Inside some of them, piles of clothes and plastic chairs are visible, with a rifle leaning up against the wall. One video also shows a shrouded body being pulled from the tunnel by a rope. IDF spokesperson Brig Gen Effie Defrin said that in one of the rooms they found the Sinwar's body. "This is another example of the cynical use by Hamas, using civilians as human shields, using civilian infrastructure, hospitals, again and again," he said. Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of using hospitals as hiding places for weapons and command centers, which the group denies. The IDF has mounted sieges and attacks on hospitals in Gaza, or ordered their evacuation, leaving the territory's health system on the verge of total collapse. Such attacks have caused widespread international concern, as many hospitals and medical facilities have been put out of action — and the lives of patients and staff put at risk. In a statement after an Israeli strike on al-Ahli hospital in April, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed his deep alarm and declared that, under international humanitarian law, the "wounded and sick, medical personnel and medical facilities, including hospitals, must be respected and protected". Hospital staff in Gaza have also repeatedly denied that Hamas is using their facilities as a base. The IDF will point to this latest footage as vindication of its claims and its military strategy. As with so much in Gaza, however, full independent verification is not possible. Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to the unprecedented cross-border attack on 7 October 2023 , in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage. At least 54,880 people have been killed in Gaza since, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry. The renewed fighting in Gaza comes following the collapse of a ceasefire and hostage exchange deal a few months ago. Since then, Israel has restated its aim to destroy Hamas and recover the hostages, of whom 54 remain in captivity and 23 are thought to still be alive. Mohammed Sinwar joined Hamas shortly after its founding in the late 1980s and became a member of the group's military wing, the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades. He rose through the ranks and by 2005 he was commander of the Khan Younis Brigade. Sinwar was also reported to have been close to another of Hamas's previous military chiefs, Mohammed Deif, and had been involved in the planning of the 7 October attack. His brother and predecessor, Yahya Sinwar — believed to be one of the masterminds behind the 7 October attack — was killed by Israeli troops last October. — BBC
Saudi Gazette
7 hours ago
- Saudi Gazette
Activists say Israeli troops have boarded aid ship
JERUSALEM — Activists say Israeli troops have boarded a yacht trying to bring humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. "Connection has been lost" on the Madleen, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) campaign group said on the Telegram app. It posted a photo showing people in life jackets sitting with their hands up. The report could not be independently verified. Climate activist Greta Thunberg is among those aboard the vessel, which is believed to be off the Egyptian coast. Israel's foreign ministry said earlier that the country's navy had told the yacht to change course "due to its approach toward a restricted area". Israel says a blockade is necessary to prevent weapons from reaching Hamas militants in Gaza. The FFC said the vessel, which left Sicily on Friday, was carrying humanitarian aid and had been "prepared for the possibility of an Israeli attack".Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz had warned that the yacht should turn back and that Israel would act against any attempt to breach the wrote in a post on X on Sunday: "I have instructed the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] to act to prevent the 'Madeleine' [sic] hate flotilla from reaching the shores of Gaza - and to take whatever measures are necessary to that end."Katz says the purpose of Israel's blockade, which has been in place since 2007, is to "prevent the transfer of weapons to Hamas" and is essential to Israel's security as it seeks to destroy FFC has argued that the sea blockade is illegal, characterizing Katz's statement as an example of Israel threatening the unlawful use of force against civilians and "attempting to justify that violence with smears"."We will not be intimidated. The world is watching," FFC press officer Hay Sha Wiya said."The Madleen is a civilian vessel, unarmed and sailing in international waters, carrying humanitarian aid and human rights defenders from across the globe... Israel has no right to obstruct our effort to reach Gaza."The Madleen was carrying a symbolic quantity of aid, including rice and baby formula, the group of Brazil, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Turkey are on 2010, Israeli commandos killed 10 people when they boarded the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara that was leading an aid flotilla towards recently began to allow limited aid into Gaza after a three-month land blockade, prioritising distribution through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which is backed by Israel and the US but widely condemned by humanitarian UN's human rights chief, Volker Türk, said last week Palestinians were being presented with the "grimmest of choices: die from starvation or risk being killed while trying to access the meagre food that is being made available".It is almost 20 months since Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to the unprecedented Hamas-led cross-border attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken least 54,880 people have been killed in Gaza since, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry. — BBC
