Tel Aviv, Feb 15 (IANS): Hundreds of family members of Israeli hostages flew to The Hague in the Netherlands on Wednesday and filed a complaint at the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Hamas leaders for the group's actions on October 7, 2023.
The family members want the ICC to immediately intervene and issue arrest warrants against Hamas leaders, said Liat Bell Sommer, spokesperson for the Hostages and Missing Persons' Families Forum.
"This is expected to put significant pressure on releasing the remaining hostages and serve as a mechanism for bringing justice to the victims and their families," Sommer said in a statement.
"If Hamas leaders choose to take refuge in countries like Qatar or Turkey, which are not subject to the rulings of the International Criminal Court, those countries will have to decide whether they become havens for war criminals and international fugitives or extradite them in accordance with the warrant," she added.
Dozens of lawyers from Israel and around the world joined the hostage family members expressing solidarity with them.
The family members filed a complaint with the ICC on charges such as genocide, kidnappings, crimes of sexual violence, and torture, among others.
Hamas captivity survivor Raz Ben Ami, who was released after 54 days and whose husband Ohad is still in Hamas captivity, said: "We came here (The Hague) to seek justice. The world cannot stay silent. Every second my husband is there is a danger to his life. He has no time."
Hamas captivity survivor, Itay Regev, who was released after 54 days with his sister Maya, said: "The most important thing I can do is speak on behalf of those left behind about the fear, sleep deprivation, and sexual abuse the girls there experience on a daily basis. The hostages are out of time. We must get everyone out of there before it is too late."
Yamit Ashkenazi, whose sister of Doron Steinbrecher is in Hamas captivity, said: "My little sister was kidnapped from her bed, from what was supposed to be the safest place in the world for her. The world must wake up. The world needs to know that my sister is in a tunnel somewhere, cold, hungry, without medication, and exposed to sexual violence for 131 days."
The families, according to the statement, went with a clear message exposing Hamas' crimes to the world.
Shelly Aviv Yeini, Head of the Forum's Legal Team, said: "Submitting a detailed report to the International Criminal Court is a significant step emphasizing the war crimes committed by Hamas and others since the shocking events of October 7. These crimes, including genocide, hostage taking, enforced disappearance, torture and sexual violence cannot and should not go unpunished."
"Criminals must be held criminally responsible for their atrocities. We rely on the ability of the International Criminal Court to bring justice to the hostages and their families. This is part of the mechanism of exerting pressure to release the hostages and encouraging countries around the world to take legal action against those responsible for these heinous acts. This represents international recognition that holding hostages is always illegal," Yeini added.