The lawyers made a statement outside the VIP Lounge at Istanbul Airport before traveling to The Hague. Yasin Şamlı, President of Istanbul Bar Association No. 2, said they were carrying with them the rights of the women and children massacred in Gaza and the oppressed people’s demand for justice. Şamlı said Israel had committed genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression, adding that the attacks were continuing despite ceasefires, United Nations calls, and rulings by the UCM and the International Court of Justice. According to the application file, approximately 80 thousand people were killed, 75% of whom were women and children.
Şamlı said the legal process was launched on November 15, 2023, and the application was submitted to the UCM on December 5, 2023. While 3 thousand 61 legal professionals supported the case, a total of 676 thousand 995 signatures were collected online and in person. The evidence includes 119 photographs, 9 evidence books, notarized victim statements and 25 CD containing 25 video recordings. The documents were said to reveal starvation, forced displacement, the collapse of the healthcare system and the killing of civilians.
Why it matters
The additional evidence to be submitted shows that the application is based not only on an account of the events, but also on a comprehensive case file supported by different types of documents. The support of legal professionals and signatories demonstrates that the process has evolved beyond an individual initiative and is being pursued with broader public and professional participation. The starvation, forced displacement, collapse of healthcare services and killing of civilians reportedly documented in the records clarify which acts those seeking a review of the application are raising for legal consideration. However, the main question that remains open is how the UCM will assess the additional evidence submitted and what bearing it will have on the current application process.
Background
Istanbul is not a new name in the FikirPilot archive: in the past 90 days, we published 2 articles mentioning this name; the most recent was dated September 1, 2026.