Justice For All files report with International Criminal Court on killing of Prof. Refaat al-Areer by Israel

Justice for All has formally submitted critical information to the Office of the Prosecutor (OPT) at the International Criminal Court (ICC), shedding light on a disturbing Israeli war crime. Specifically, evidence strongly suggests that the Israeli airstrike executed last Wednesday, resulting in the tragic death of Professor Refaat al-Areer, was a deliberate act. The targeted bombing surgically obliterated the apartment where he and his family sought refuge, as substantiated by multiple eyewitnesses and family testimonies. Shockingly, this devastating incident followed weeks of ominous death threats directed at Prof. al-Areer online and by phone from Israeli accounts.

Professor Refaat al-Areer was a distinguished Palestinian intellectual, writer, poet, and activist, met a tragic end alongside his brother Salah, his child Mohammed, his sister Asmaa, and three of her children (Alaa, Yahia, and Mohammed), along with a neighbor. Additionally, his brother’s wife and two other children, Rafik and Alma, sustained injuries during the assault.

“Alareer’s story parallels that of Palestine itself. He founded the ‘We are not Numbers’ project, and taught others that if he must die, they should live to tell his story, to bring hope to the Palestine cause. He wanted freedom. He died a martyr for the Palestinian cause, and a martyr never truly dies. He is free in death.” said Imam Abdul-Malik Mujahid, President of Justice For All. Mujahid also quoted Prof. Alareer as saying, “I am caught between wanting to take the family outside, despite the missiles, shrapnel and falling debris, and staying at home, like sitting ducks for the American-made, Israeli-piloted planes.”

In the weeks preceding this horrifying event, Prof. al-Areer had been subjected to a relentless barrage of death threats and hateful messages on social media from Israeli accounts. This wave of hostility intensified after prominent public figures singled him out for harassment and incitement. Forced to relocate multiple times during the ongoing war, Prof. al-Areer eventually sought refuge at his sister’s home with his parents, wife, and children.

Notably, this is not the first time Refaat al-Areer’s life has been affected by tragedy at the hands of Israeli forces. In 2014, an Israeli airstrike targeted his home in Shejaiya, resulting in the loss of over 30 lives from both his and his wife’s families.