ROME (Dispatches) -- Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has publicly responded to accusations of “complicity in genocide” following a complaint filed with the International Criminal Court (ICC) over Italy’s support for Israel amid its atrocities in Gaza. 
Meloni stated in an interview with Italian state broadcaster RAI that she, along with Defense Minister Guido Crosetto and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, has been “denounced” in the complaint. 
The complaint, signed by around 50 individuals including law professors and public figures, alleges that Italy’s supply of arms to Israel makes its government complicit in genocide and serious war crimes against Palestinians.
The Palestinian advocacy group behind the complaint calls for the ICC to consider opening a formal investigation into these genocide charges. 
This follows a recent UN Independent Inquiry which classified Israel’s war on Gaza as genocide, aligning with assessments from many experts in international law and human rights. 
While the ICC has issued arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former war minister Yoav Gallant over war crimes in Gaza, they have not been charged with genocide specifically.
Italy’s role in arms exports to Israel adds a significant dimension to the allegations. Data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) reveals Italy as one of the few countries exporting major conventional arms to Israel between 2020 and 2024, including light helicopters and naval guns. 
Italy also contributes parts for F-35 fighter jets under a U.S.-led program. Italian officials claim that arms deliveries are only under contracts signed before October 2023 and that assurances were sought that weapons would not be used against civilians.
Meloni’s comments come amid widespread protests across Italy opposing Israel’s war on Gaza, with major labor unions and dockworkers voicing solidarity with Palestinians and threatening strikes. 
Italy’s naval forces initially accompanied an international flotilla attempting to deliver aid to Gaza but withdrew before Israeli forces intercepted the vessels in international waters, detaining nearly 500 activists, several of whom remain in custody.
The legal challenges against Italian leaders reflect a broader wave of international efforts to hold Israel accountable, including cases at the International Court of Justice brought by countries like South Africa, and growing diplomatic tensions, particularly in European nations such as Spain, which has frozen arms exports and called Israel’s actions genocide.
These developments highlight the increasingly complex and contentious role of European countries like Italy and Spain in the Gaza war, navigating between diplomatic ties with Israel and mounting public and legal pressure to address alleged violations of international law.