A delegation of foreign prosecutors, including from Portugal, arrives in Israel on Monday to investigate the deaths of civilians at the hands of Palestinian militias in the Oct. 7 attack.
According to the Israeli Ministry of Justice, prosecutors from Portugal, Germany, the United States, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Estonia will be accompanied by diplomatic representatives from Japan, Australia and Denmark during their visit to communities bordering the Gaza Strip, where the attack took place. The Palestinian Hamas Islamist movement killed about 1140 lives.
Those responsible will meet with Israeli Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, State Attorney Amit Eisman and members of the legal team that defended Israel in the International Court of Justice in a genocide case brought by South Africa, whose decision is awaited.
The delegation will also meet with family members of the October 7 victim, which is “another step in efforts to establish legal measures against senior Hamas officials,” according to a statement by Justice Ministry Director General Itamar Donenfeld published by The Times of Israel.
The ongoing conflict between Israel and the Islamic Resistance Movement was sparked by the Islamist movement’s attack on Israeli territory on October 7.
According to Israel’s latest official tally, 1,140 people were killed that day, mostly civilians but also about 400 soldiers.
Some 250 people were taken hostage in the attacks, and Israel says 132 people remain captive in the Gaza Strip, 27 of whom have died, according to an Agence France-Presse tally based on official Israeli data.
In response, Israel, which has vowed to destroy the Palestinian Islamist movement, has since bombed the Gaza Strip, killing more than 25,000 people and wounding more than 62,000, according to local authorities.