Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni did make this statement during a televised interview on October 7, 2025, with Italy’s state broadcaster RAI. She disclosed that she, along with Defense Minister Guido Crosetto, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, and potentially Roberto Cingolani (CEO of the defense company Leonardo SpA), have been named in a formal complaint filed with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. The complaint accuses them of complicity in genocide in Gaza due to Italy’s ongoing military and commercial ties with Israel, particularly through Leonardo’s collaborations with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
Filing and Signatories:
The complaint, dated October 1, 2025, was submitted by the Group of Lawyers for Palestine (GAP), a pro-Palestinian advocacy group, along with around 50 signatories including Italian law professors, lawyers, and public figures. It urges the ICC to investigate potential war crimes and complicity in genocide under the Rome Statute.
Allegations:
The core claim centers on Italy’s failure to halt arms exports and military cooperation with Israel amid the Gaza conflict. Specifically:Leonardo SpA, a state-influenced Italian aerospace and defense firm (in which the Italian government holds a significant stake), has ongoing contracts with Israel’s Ministry of Defense.
These include supplies of tactical radar systems (e.g., for air and maritime surveillance) used by the IDF in the “Gaza envelope”—the fortified perimeter around Gaza designed to detect and counter aircraft, drones, or vessels.
Critics argue this enables Israel’s military operations, which have been accused of genocide by UN investigators and in separate ICJ proceedings brought by South Africa. The complaint also cites Italy’s role in allowing IDF personnel “decompression” vacations on Italian soil and its interception of the Global Sumud aid flotilla in October 2025.