Israeli war crimes

Israeli war crimes are the violations of international criminal law, including war crimes and crimes against humanity, which the Israel Defense Forces, the military branch of the state of Israel, has been accused of committing since the founding of Israel in 1948. These have included murder, intentional targeting of civilians, killing prisoners of war and surrendered combatants, indiscriminate attacks, collective punishment, starvation, the use of human shields, torture, pillage, forced transfer, breach of medical neutrality, targeting journalists, attacking civilian and protected objects, wanton destruction, incitement to genocide, and genocide.

Israel ratified the Geneva Conventions on July 6, 1951, and on January 2, 2015, the State of Palestine acceded to the Rome Statute, granting the International Criminal Court (ICC) jurisdiction over war crimes committed in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). Human rights experts argue that actions taken by the IDF during armed conflicts in the OPT fall under the rubric of war crimes. Special rapporteurs from the United Nations, organizations including Human Rights Watch, Médecins Sans Frontières, Amnesty International, and human rights experts have accused Israel of war crimes.

Since 2006 the Human Rights Council has mandated several fact finding missions into violations of international law, including war crimes, in the OPT, and in May of 2021 established a permanent, ongoing inquiry. Since 2021, the ICC has had an active investigation into Israeli war crimes committed in the OPT. Israel has refused to cooperate with the investigations.

In December 2023 South Africa invoked the 1948 Genocide Convention and charged Israel with war crimes and acts of genocide allegedly committed in the occupied Palestinian Territories and Gaza Strip. The case, referred to as South Africa v. Israel, was set to be heard at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and South Africa presented its case to the court on 10 January.