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On Sunday, Israeli farmers near the Gaza border announced that they would file a lawsuit with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague against senior Hamas leaders through Shurat Hadin (a non-governmental organization that represents terror victims while upholding Jewish values and causes.) This is the first civilian response to the phenomenon of kite terrorism, which has plagued Israeli farming communities bordering the Gaza Strip since the riots began on March 30th.
During the past few months, Gaza terrorists along the border between Gaza and Israel have been attaching firebombs to kites and launching them over the border in attempts to attack Israeli citizens and damage Israeli property. The US has denounced these “terror kites” as acts of terror.
The director of Kibbutz Nir Am, which is located near Sderot in southern Israel near the Gaza border, where thousands of dunams of wheat have been destroyed, is leading the pursuit of this criminal investigation.
The lawsuit will be filed against senior Hamas officials including, Yihya Sanwar, Isma'il Haniyeh, and other prominent members of the terrorist organization.
The Israeli farmers have cited a number of offences that are in violation of the “Roman Statute” (treaty of the ICC), including the burning of fields, attacking Israel’s borders, using children for combat purposes, and utilizing civilians for human shields.
Shurat Hadin president attorney Nitzana Darshan-Leitner said, “Israel will not remain silent. In the current situation, in which every single day terrorists burn fields and forests, is unacceptable.”
“It is inconceivable that the senior Hamas officials will accuse Israel of the war crime when they themselves use the civilian population, especially children, as human shields, which are repeatedly directed at Israeli citizens. Therefore, we call on the ICC at The Hague to bring this matter to justice.”
Hamas has called for prosecuting Israel at the ICC, claiming that Israel has been using excessive force to defend its border from infiltration attempts
Chronicles of Monte Friesner - Financial Crime Analyst
Contributed by Andrei Slavenkov - Financial Crime Investigator ( Arutz Sheva)
