KUALA LUMPUR – A Dutch appeals court has instructed the government to halt the delivery of F-35 fighter aircraft parts to Israel, citing concerns that these components might contribute to violations of international law in Gaza.
The court agreed with human rights groups who argued that the exported F-35 parts from a Dutch warehouse could be used to violate international humanitarian law.
“It is undeniable that there is a clear risk the exported F-35 parts are used in serious violations of international humanitarian law,” the court, based in The Hague, said as quoted by the BBC.
“Israel does not take sufficient account of the consequences for the civilian population when conducting its attacks.”
Israel denies committing war crimes, but the court expressed a clear risk of the exported parts being used in such violations.
The Dutch government has seven days to comply with the order, and they may appeal to their Supreme Court.
The case was brought by various groups, including the Dutch affiliate of Oxfam, after the Dutch government allowed the export licence for F-35 parts to Israel despite the situation in Gaza.
This development comes after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Israel to take measures to prevent genocidal acts in Gaza, following a request from South Africa. Israel rejected the accusation as “wholly unfounded.”
In the early hours of Monday, the Israeli regime embarked on an intense bombardment campaign targeting the densely overcrowded southern Gaza city of Rafah, killing and injuring hundreds of civilians, Bernama reported.
Health authorities in Rafah reported the tragic killing of more than 100 civilians, including children and women, with hundreds more wounded.
The casualties were rushed to hospitals across the city, Palestine News and Information Agency (Wafa) reported.
The Palestinian Red Crescent stated that Rafah is witnessing fierce Israeli airstrikes concentrated in the city centre, hitting residential homes near the Red Crescent headquarters.
Director of Kuwait Hospital in the city, Suhaib Al-Hams, said the hospital is overwhelmed with seriously wounded patients and lacks sufficient medications and supplies.
Local sources said that Israeli warplanes launched approximately 40 airstrikes, targeting numerous homes and mosques sheltering displaced individuals across the city. This was accompanied by intense artillery shelling and naval bombardment on Rafah.
Civilian vehicles carrying casualties arrived at Kuwaiti Hospital, while hundreds evacuated to the hospital to escape the ongoing bombardment, according to local sources and witnesses.
Among the targeted mosques were Al-Rahma in Shaboura and Al-Huda in the Yibna refugee camp, both accommodating dozens of displaced families, along with more than 14 inhabited houses. The Israeli airstrikes also extended to areas near the border with Egypt.
Estimates indicate around 1.4 million citizens and internally displaced refugees are currently present in Rafah after Israeli occupation forces compelled hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from northern Gaza to relocate southwards in the early stages of the current aggression.
In a preliminary toll, the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip since Oct 7 has resulted in the murder of over 28,176 individuals, the majority of whom are innocent civilians, and over 68,000 injuries.
Thousands of victims remain trapped under rubble and in the streets, as Israeli forces obstruct rescue teams from reaching them. – February 12, 2024
