BRUSSELS

Belgium’s Viva Palestina Party announced Thursday that it has pressed charges against five Belgian nationals who fought in the Israeli army in Gaza.

Speaking to Anadolu, the party’s leader, Dyab Abou Jahjah, said the nationals were involved in genocide and serious war crimes in the enclave.

The party is campaigning to win seats in elections for the Brussels regional parliament which will be held on June 9.

In an interview with Anadolu in late May, Abou Jahjah said the party founded the “March 30 Movement” to pursue justice for Gaza and recognition of the genocide.

He said the movement was founded in the Netherlands, Belgium and France to pursue legal actions against Belgian, Dutch and French citizens participating in the Gaza genocide by fighting for the Israeli military.

He added that the party is working towards getting the Brussels regional parliament to recognize the genocide in Gaza as it prepares for the June 9 polls.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas, despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

Nearly 36,600 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, the vast majority being women and children, and over 83,000 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Eight months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in its latest ruling has ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in the southern city of Rafah. Over a million Palestinians had sought refuge in Rafah from the war before it was invaded on May 6.