Netherlands accused of war crimes in Gaza over fighter jet parts supply

• A Dutch court is hearing a case alleging the state’s involvement in war crimes in Gaza.
• The case was brought by human rights organizations.
• The case is expected to be decided in two weeks.

A case alleging the state’s involvement in war crimes in Gaza through the provision of parts for Israeli bombers is scheduled to be heard by a Dutch court.

The case, which began on Monday, was brought by human rights organizations against the Netherlands. According to the case, the Netherlands’ transfer of F-35 fighter jet parts has made it appear as though the Netherlands is involved in the alleged war crimes.

The Dutch chapters of Oxfam and Amnesty International contend that by permitting the supply of spare parts for Israeli fighter jets during the conflict, “the Netherlands is contributing to wide-scale and serious violations of humanitarian law by Israel in Gaza.”

The plaintiffs’ case and the Dutch state’s legal team’s response will be heard in the courtroom beginning at 10:00 AM CET (09:00 GMT). It will be decided in two weeks.

US-owned F-35 parts are kept in a regional facility in the Netherlands before being shipped to other F-35 partner nations, like Israel.

According to official records, the Dutch government approved the transfer of spare components for Israeli F-35 aircraft many weeks after the fatal Hamas attacks on October 7.

Kajsa Ollongren, the nation’s minister of defense, told the Dutch news agency last week that she would not comment on the accusations before the court case in The Hague began.

However, the Dutch Ministry of Defence later claimed that “it cannot be established that the F-35s are involved in grave violations of the humanitarian laws of war” in a letter to parliament, citing the state of the art intelligence.

Israel maintains that it did not conduct war crimes in Gaza.

As the conflict rages on, over 15,000 Palestinians—including women and children—have lost their lives in the beleaguered Gaza Strip. Israel claims that 1,200 Israelis have been killed and 240 captured by Hamas militants.

The Netherlands has defended Israel’s right to self-defense in accordance with international law and humanitarian principles, just like the rest of the European Union has done since the conflict between Israel and Gaza began.

The government of the Netherlands has not endorsed the ceasefire requests made by several of its EU counterparts, such as Belgium and Spain.

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