Haneyya gov't forms committee to file war crime charges against Israel

The Palestinian government headed by premier Ismail Haneyya formed an official committee to document the Israeli atrocities committed in the Gaza Strip in order to prosecute Israel's leaders as war criminals in regional and international courts.

Minister of justice Mohamed Al-Ghoul called on all international and local institutions working in the field of law or human rights to coordinate with this official committee, stressing the need to pool and intensify all efforts to confront the Israeli occupation and its Nazi leaders in order to achieve the desired objectives.

In another context, minister of social affairs Ahmed Kurd announced on Saturday the formation of the higher national committee for relief in order to coordinate and supervise urgent relief operations for the citizens affected by the Israeli war on Gaza.

Kurd told a news conference that the committee is formed of the ministry of social affairs in addition to Palestinian factions and institutions of civil society, noting that this committee is the only one operating in Gaza.

The minister explained that the committee would be the only authority which is referred to in relief efforts in order to provide transparency and ensure the distribution of relief assistance to all segments of the society.

He stressed that the ministry had contacts with all Palestinian factions in Gaza including Fatah, where a representative of Fatah participated in the preparatory meeting of the committee.

Kurd said that the committee would distribute more than 35 million euros to those affected by the aggression on Gaza.

The minister pointed out that the committee is not for the reconstruction of destroyed areas, but it was formed to provide instant relief to all citizens who were wounded or whose houses were destroyed partially or completely, adding that the reconstruction efforts need enormous amounts of money and coordination with donor countries.

In an exclusive statement to the PIC, Dr. Mohamed Askool, the minister of education stated that the opening of the second school semester and the return of students to classrooms on Saturday represent a message to the Israeli occupation that Palestinian students decided to continue their lives in defiance of the size of pain and destruction it caused in Gaza.

Dr. Askool said that 250,000 students from all levels returned to 380 schools in Gaza, adding that the destruction that affected some schools was addressed through transferring students to other schools.

About 200,000 students studying in UNRWA schools also returned on the same day to classrooms.

Source : http://www.palestine-info.co.uk