Jeremy Corbyn’s Peace and Justice Project has announced the launch of The Gaza Tribunal – after the British government rejected his Bill for a full inquiry into UK complicity with Israel’s war crimes and genocide in Gaza.

The Gaza Tribunal has emerged as a beacon of hope. This people’s inquiry—slated to convene in the UK on 4-5 September—aims to examine Britain’s complicity in Israel’s war crimes in Gaza. Far from being an exercise in blame, it stands as a testament to public demand for legal clarity, transparency and justice. It is precisely the kind of bold initiative needed to illuminate wrongdoing, support victims, and create pressure for tangible change.

What is The Gaza Tribunal?

The Gaza Tribunal will run over two days, featuring:

expert witnesses including Palestinians on the ground in Gaza, journalists who have covered the conflict, health and aid workers who have worked in Palestine as well as legal experts and UN officials who have intimate knowledge of the situation.

They will be examining Britain’s legal obligations and considering whether the government has met them.

The itinerary is as follows:

Part 1: What has happened in Gaza? 10:00 | Thursday 4 September
Part 2: What are Britain’s legal responsibilities? 12:00 | Thursday 4 September
Part 3: What has Britain’s role been in Gaza? 14:00 | Thursday 4 September
Part 3: What has Britain’s role been in Gaza? (cont.) 10:00 | Friday 5 September
Part 4: Has Britain fulfilled its legal obligations? 14:00 | Friday 5 September

With sections dedicated to analysing the scale of violence in Gaza, the UK’s potential accountability under international law, and state involvement in factors such as arms sales and intelligence sharing, it provides a rare chance for civilian-led oversight. That members of the public, activists, and legal luminaries unite over an independent inquiry sends a powerful signal to policymakers: silence or delay is no longer acceptable.

Jeremy Corbyn said of The Gaza Tribunal:

Just like Iraq, the government is doing everything it can to protect itself from scrutiny. Just like Iraq, it will not succeed in its attempts to suffocate the truth. We will uncover the full scale of British complicity in genocide – and we will bring about justice for the people of Palestine.”

Why it matters

Accountability over war crimes and genocide is not optional.

Without it, there is a risk of normalising civilian harm and undermining international norms. The Gaza Tribunal not only challenges UK authorities to respond, but also galvanises broader public debate. Public hearings and expert findings can influence parliamentary scrutiny, diplomatic engagement, and even judicial processes. This bottom-up model of participatory justice shows that citizen-led initiatives can reinforce the highest standards of human rights and shape foreign policy.

Any meaningful inquiry must also confront the grim statistics. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry and corroborated by independent trackers, the death toll in Gaza by Israel stands at 58,026 Palestinians as of mid-July 2025, including a tragic toll of children and women.

In recent days alone, at least 93 Palestinians were killed in a single 24‑hour period, while separate reports confirm 20 killed in crush incidents at food aid hubs, with Israel-led strikes claiming at least 54 more lives—including 14 children—with UNICEF estimating more than 18,000 child fatalities overall. Such staggering losses emphasise why civilian testimony and independent investigation are indispensable.

Moreover, anguishing shortages of essentials—food, fuel, medical supplies—have transformed aid centres into zones of lethal danger. Since late May, hundreds have died at these distribution points, including documented massacres of aid‑seekers. These are not abstract statistics but the painful backdrop against which accountability initiatives such as The Gaza Tribunal must operate.

A platform for those Israel, the West, and the corporate media have silenced

What sets The Gaza Tribunal apart is its insistence on listening to voices from Gaza—survivors, healthcare workers, legal experts. It’s not sensationalism. It’s rigorous, rights‑based inquiry. It is in direct continuity with international justice efforts aimed at ensuring war crimes are investigated, victims supported, and state actors held answerable. For British society—supposedly steeped in legal tradition—this independent inquiry is not an affront; it’s an opportunity to reaffirm democratic accountability.

As The Gaza Tribunal gears up for its September hearings, preparations are already shaping up.

Lawyers are drafting submissions, survivors are preparing testimony, and civil society groups continue mobilising public support. The stage is set for a serious, informed reckoning—not just about distant events in Gaza, but about Britain’s role in them.

Even if The Gaza Tribunal lacks formal sanction, its real power lies in public visibility. This includes media coverage, legal discourse, parliamentary debates. That is how change is ignited. As light shines on systemic shortcomings, governments find it harder to ignore or dismiss, and citizens are equipped to demand accountability.

The Gaza Tribunal: courageous

The Gaza Tribunal represents a courageous, necessary endeavour—both morally and strategically. It brings absent voices into conversation, confronts national responsibility, and underscores that human lives, especially those lost at an unimaginable scale, deserve justice.

With over 58,000 people killed by Israel in Gaza, the Tribunal could not be more timely.

It is not only a questioning of events, but a hopeful step towards a world where no government can evade scrutiny.

Featured image supplied

By The Canary

This post was originally published on Canary.