Law for Palestine, Joint Communication to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Regarding the Perpetration of the Crime of Genocide by Members of the Israeli War Cabinet (Mar. 2024)
The submission argues that Israel’s military actions in Gaza amount to ecocide, which forms part of a broader genocidal intent. While ecocide is not explicitly codified in the Rome Statute, the communication argues that widespread environmental destruction inflicts life-threatening conditions on Palestinians and should be considered under Article 6(c) as part of genocidal conduct. For instance, massive bombing has led to toxic pollution, agricultural destruction, and infrastructure collapse, especially concerning wastewater systems. The flooding of tunnels with seawater threatens Gaza’s freshwater supply and agriculture and risks long-term ecological collapse. Heavy metal contamination from munitions is linked to reproductive harm, such as increased rates of birth defects, perinatal deaths, and premature births. Authors draw on the genocide–ecocide nexus to argue that such environmental destruction is not incidental but deliberate, predictable, and historically consistent. These acts, taken together with other violations, are presented as evidence of an intent to destroy a protected group and, therefore, constitute genocide. The communication is calling on the OTP to conduct a formal investigation and issue arrest warrants respectively.
