Metropolitan Police say they referred Israel-Gaza war crimes cases to ICC

The Metropolitan Police’s War Crimes Team has shared a “small number of referrals” with the International Criminal Court (ICC) since the Hamas-led attack on Israel last October and and the ensuing war on Gaza.

The War Crimes Team has reviewed around 170 referrals related to the ongoing conflict since 7 October 2023 and has shared information with the international court “as part of the UK’s international obligations”, a police spokesperson told Middle East Eye.

“We will not be commenting on the specific nature of each and every referral, but each one is reviewed in line with War Crimes/Crimes Against Humanity Referral Guidelines, jointly agreed by police and the Crown Prosecution Service," the spokesperson said.

“At this time, there is no UK-based investigation into any matters relating to this particular conflict."

The Met’s comments come after the Ministry of Defence said it would consider sharing war crimes evidence with the court that Royal Air Force spy planes may have gathered while flying over Gaza over the past year.

Read More: Metropolitan Police say they referred Israel-Gaza war crimes cases to ICC