Spanish activist presses charges against Netanyahu over Gaza flotilla raid

OVIEDO, Spain

Spanish activist Sergio Toribio filed a criminal complaint with Spain’s National Court on Thursday against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several top military officials over a naval operation that intercepted a humanitarian mission bound for Gaza.

The suit accuses the officials of war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the June 9 interception of the Madleen, a ship carrying humanitarian aid as part of the Freedom Flotilla.

"The ship was intercepted 100 nautical miles out, in international waters. We were literally kidnapped by a special combat unit … We were forcibly taken to Tel Aviv and handed over to the authorities without having committed any crime," Toribio told reporters outside the courthouse.

"These acts, under Spanish law, constitute war crimes within the context of systematic attacks against the Palestinian population in Gaza and those trying to assist them," Jaume Asens, the organization’s lawyer in Spain, told Spanish news agency EFE.

The legal action invokes Spain’s principle of universal jurisdiction and is structured in two parts: a personal suit filed by Toribio as a direct victim and a popular accusation supported by the Committee of Solidarity with the Arab Cause (CSCA).

Besides Netanyahu, the complaint names Defense Minister Israel Katz and other high-level officials involved in the raid.

Eleven activists and one journalist were aboard the Madleen, including Toribio, climate activist Greta Thunberg and French-Palestinian member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan.

According to organizers, the vessel was carrying essential supplies for Gaza, including baby formula, flour, rice, diapers, sanitary products, water desalination kits, medical equipment, crutches, and children's prosthetics.

The complaint calls for a judicial investigation, testimony from international witnesses and the issuance of arrest warrants for those named.

The lawsuit came amid escalating violence in Gaza. Spanish broadcaster RTVE reported that Israeli forces killed at least 81 Palestinians on Thursday morning, including 30 who were waiting for food aid.

Nearly 56,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli attacks.