Members of the "Gaza Tribunal", an independent initiative established to investigate the war crimes committed by Israel in Gaza, visited the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.
The delegation included Gaza Court President Prof. Dr. Richard Falk, members of the Management Committee Prof. Dr. Hilal Elver and Prof. Dr. Penny Green and the President of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF), lawyer Taha Ayhan, and lawyer Dr. Mehmet Karlı took part.
During the visit, the delegation headed by Falk brought the decision of the Gaza Court to the attention of the Court, as well as the expert reports taken as basis in the decision, more than 90 witness statements, 19 of which were heard in person during the sessions, some of which were heard via live broadcasts from Gaza, the evidence collected and the expert opinions obtained were also shared with the ICC.
Established as an independent initiative in response to the call for justice made by hundreds of millions of people around the world for more than three years, the "Gaza Court", a court of humanity and conscience, consisted of the world's leading lawyers, academics, artists and intellectuals, chaired by former UN Palestine rapporteur and international law professor Richard Falk.
The records of the entire trial process, which lasted approximately 18 months, the evidence collected, the expert reports used and the witness statements heard, were systematically archived and made available to all humanity on the website, with the verdict of the Court announced in Istanbul in October 2025.
The Gaza Tribunal, consisting of former UN Palestine Rapporteur Michael Lynk, Raji Sourani, Cemil Aydin, Ilan Pappe and Avi Shlaim, determined 11 different issues based on justifications and evidence, and published them as verdicts of genocide and crimes against humanity.
It is possible for everyone to use and refer to the Gaza Court decision in both criminal complaints and applications to administrative authorities.
In addition to the fact that this provision announced by the Court can be used in applications, another purpose of the Court is to record these genocides and crimes against humanity in history with their evidence and justifications, and to attract the attention of the international community by examining Israel's Gaza genocide and the rights violations against the Palestinian people in a multi-dimensional manner.
In 2018, Palestine applied to the ICC and requested an investigation into "crimes committed until June 13, 2014 and to be committed subsequently in all of the occupied Palestinian territory." In March 2021, the ICC Chief Prosecutor stated in his notification to Israel that the preliminary examination of the crimes committed in Palestine covered June 13, 2014 and later.
South Africa, Bolivia, Bangladesh, the Union of Comoros and Djibouti, which are members of the court, requested an investigation into Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip in their request on November 17, 2023.
On November 21, 2024, the ICC Pretrial Chamber issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for committing war crimes and crimes against humanity against civilians in Gaza.