An appeals court in the Netherlands ordered the government Monday to stop exports of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel, following a lawsuit filed by human rights groups raising concerns about Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip.
"It is undeniable that there is a clear risk the exported F-35 parts are used in serious violations of international humanitarian law," the court said.
Israel has denied committing war crimes in Gaza, where it launched a military operation against the Hamas militant group following an October Hamas attack that killed 1,200 people in Israel according to Israeli tallies. The Israeli response has killed more than 28,300 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza.
The Dutch court said the government must comply with the ruling within seven days.
The decision can be appealed.
The Netherlands is host to a warehouse of U.S.-owned F-35 parts that are exported to several countries.
Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
