Italian officials including Meloni reported to the ICC over Gaza war

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Tuesday that she had been reported to the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of complicity in genocide committed in the Gaza Strip as a result of the ongoing Israeli military offensive, now in its second year.

In an interview with the state television broadcaster RAI, Meloni explained that Defence Minister Guido Crosetto and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani had also been reported on the same charges.

She added that she believes the head of the Italian defence group Leonardo, Roberto Cingolani, will also face trial.

This marks the first time that Italian officials of such senior rank have been referred to the ICC in connection with Israel’s war on Gaza, which began on 7 October 2023.

Since that date, Israeli forces — backed directly by the United States and several Western countries — have carried out what has been described as a genocide in the Gaza Strip. According to figures from the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, the offensive has so far killed or injured more than 236,000 Palestinians, with around 10,000 reported missing. In addition, 459 people, including 154 children, have died from hunger and malnutrition.

READ: Italy’s Foreign Ministry in revolt over Israel’s ‘war of extermination’ in Gaza