South Korea is the latest to file charges against Israeli officials for alleged war crimes in the Gaza Strip

June 24 (UPI) – South Korean government officials and other organizations on Monday filed a series of charges against senior Israeli government officials, including Israeli President and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for genocide and other alleged crimes against humanity.

The South Korean lawsuit cites seven senior Israeli officials, including President Isaac Herzog and Netanyahu, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Foreign Minister Israel Katz, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.

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The charges were brought by People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, Asian Dignity Initiatives and more than 5,000 individuals, including two members of the country’s National Assembly, alleging that Israel has committed numerous crimes since the war with Hamas began on October 7.

The “central allegations” against Israeli government officials are: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes against humanitarian purposes and war crimes involving the use of prohibited weapons and means.

“The indictment means that about 5,000 co-plaintiffs have admitted that genocide took place in Gaza. They not only mourn but also insist that the perpetrators be severely punished under South Korean law,” Lee Dong-hwa, an ADI team manager, said in a written statement.

The group filed charges under the 2007 Law on the Punishment of Crimes within the Jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.

“Common sense dictates that war crimes, even if committed outside South Korea, must be investigated according to laws and principles and perpetrators must be punished according to the gravity of the crime,” Dong wrote.

This is the latest attempt since the UN Security Council recently passed a US-authored resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and the immediate release of all hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. The aim is to blame Israeli officials for what it says are more than 34,000 deaths in Gaza.

In February, Brazil’s president compared what he called the genocide of the Palestinians to the Holocaust.

“What is happening in the Gaza Strip is not a war, it is genocide,” said Brazilian President Lula da Silva in Ethiopia at the African Union summit. “It is not a war of soldiers against soldiers. It is a war between a highly armed army and women and children.”

This latest attempt by South Korea is one of several formal complaints against Israel.

The United Nations Human Rights Council passed a resolution in April calling for Israel to be held accountable for alleged war crimes in Gaza and demanding an immediate ceasefire. The resolution passed 28 votes to 6, with 13 abstentions and the United States voting against.

South Africa filed a complaint with the UN International Court of Justice last December, accusing Israel of actions of a “genocidal nature” in its occupation of Gaza; Egypt and the Arab League followed suit in May last year.

In January, the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, ordered Israel to take immediate steps to end the atrocities in the Gaza Strip in the war against Hamas. Israel and the USA had criticized the atrocities at the time as unfounded.