Israel braces for international backlash over Gaza: Preparing for Battle Beyond the Battlefield

Written by Elijah J. Magnier:

Legal cases against Israel continue to unfold, with the Israeli army’s actions in Gaza under relentless scrutiny. The conflict has not only tested Israel’s military might but is now challenging its legal defences and, by extension, its future operational freedom. As Israel navigates this complex legal maze, the world watches and waits for the outcome of a battle fought not only in the fields of Gaza but also in the courtrooms of the international legal system.

In anticipation of a significant increase in legal challenges, including requests for arrest warrants for its soldiers and indictments for war crimes, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) has begun a strategic build-up of its legal defences. According to reports in Yedioth Ahronoth, a leading Israeli newspaper, the IDF is significantly strengthening its international law department. The initiative, headed by Roni Katzir, who was promoted to major general during the conflict, is aimed at preparing Israel for a legal offensive that could dwarf the scrutiny and criticism it faced following the Goldstone Commission, which investigated the 2009 Gaza war.

The expected wave of lawsuits and international condemnation stems from the anticipated exposure of the conflict’s devastation once Gaza opens its doors to foreign journalists and human rights organisations. The depth of the destruction and the enormously high toll on Palestinian civilians are likely to fuel the international community’s efforts to hold Israel accountable and condemn its crimes through all legal institutions, including the United Nations.

Indeed, a United Nations-appointed expert, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, has issued a report suggesting that there are ‘reasonable grounds to believe that Israel is committing acts of genocide in Gaza”. According to Albanese, Israel’s actions in Gaza since 7 October have resulted in the deaths of over 30,000 Palestinians, with a further 12,000 missing and presumed dead. The report highlights that the majority of casualties are women and children and notes that the combatant status of adult male casualties has not been established.