Iraq Court Sentences 4 ISIS Members to Death for Manufacturing Drones

Iraqi forces are seen by their military vehicles during an operation against ISIS remnants. (Reuters file photo)
Iraqi forces are seen by their military vehicles during an operation against ISIS remnants. (Reuters file photo)
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Iraq Court Sentences 4 ISIS Members to Death for Manufacturing Drones

Iraqi forces are seen by their military vehicles during an operation against ISIS remnants. (Reuters file photo)
Iraqi forces are seen by their military vehicles during an operation against ISIS remnants. (Reuters file photo)

Iraq's Central Criminal Court in Iraq issued four death sentences against ISIS terrorists on Monday for manufacturing drones and explosives to attack security forces.

Iraq is seeking to limit the use of weapons on its territory with the spread of many armed factions, some of which targeted US bases after the eruption of the war in Gaza on October 7.

The media center of the Supreme Judicial Council said that terrorists provided logistical support to ISIS to target the security forces.

Cooperation with International Criminal Court

Ahead of the convictions, Prime Minister Mohammad Shiaa al-Sudani met in Baghdad with the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Ahmad Khan.

According to a statement from Sudani's office, the Prime Minister called on the ICC to assist Iraq in identifying supporters of terrorism.

The officials discussed cooperation mechanisms between the Iraqi government and the ICC to hold ISIS terrorists accountable in a way that helps bring justice to the thousands of victims who were killed by terrorism.

Sudani stressed the need to support Iraq in prosecuting and holding the terrorists accountable for the loss of Iraqi lives and brutal massacres of civilians.

"Iraq fought terrorism on behalf of the world, was able to defeat it, and made many sacrifices for that."

For his part, Khan stressed the ICC's keenness to prosecute and bring to justice members of terrorist organizations in Iraq.

He asserted that the Iraqis defeated the terrorist ISIS through their unity, cohesion, and determination to cleanse their land.

Harir Airport

Separately, the Kurdish Rudaw network reported on Sunday that a large explosion was heard at Harir Airport in Erbil, northern Iraq.

It did not immediately provide further details.

Iraqi armed factions have repeatedly targeted the base near Erbil Airport and another in western Iraq in response to the war in Gaza.

Meanwhile, the Karkh Criminal Court in Baghdad sentenced two persons to life in prison for illegal drug trafficking.

Under the complex litigation procedures in Iraq, these rulings are not final and can be appealed. Some cases can be put to a retrial because some convicts provide their statements under coercion or torture.



Aid to Gaza 'Facing Total Collapse', Warn 12 NGOs

 A Palestinian boy looks through a hole in the wall into a damaged room after an Israeli strike on a school housing displaced Palestinians in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on April 17, 2025. (AFP)
A Palestinian boy looks through a hole in the wall into a damaged room after an Israeli strike on a school housing displaced Palestinians in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on April 17, 2025. (AFP)
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Aid to Gaza 'Facing Total Collapse', Warn 12 NGOs

 A Palestinian boy looks through a hole in the wall into a damaged room after an Israeli strike on a school housing displaced Palestinians in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on April 17, 2025. (AFP)
A Palestinian boy looks through a hole in the wall into a damaged room after an Israeli strike on a school housing displaced Palestinians in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on April 17, 2025. (AFP)

The humanitarian aid system in Gaza is "facing total collapse" because of Israel's blockade on aid supplies since March 2, the heads of 12 major aid organizations warned Thursday, urging Israel to let them "do our jobs".

Israel has vowed to maintain its blockage on humanitarian aid to the war-ravaged territory, saying it is the only way to force Hamas to release the 58 hostages still held there.

"Every single person in Gaza is relying on humanitarian aid to survive," the chief executives of 12 NGOs, including Oxfam and Save the Children, wrote in a joint statement.

"That lifeline has been completely cut off since a blockade on all aid supplies was imposed by Israeli authorities on March 2," they said, adding that "This is one of the worst humanitarian failures of our generation."

A survey of 43 international and Palestinian aid organizations working in Gaza found that almost all have suspended or drastically cut services since a ceasefire ended on March 18, "with widespread and indiscriminate bombing making it extremely dangerous to move around", the NGOs said.

"Famine is not just a risk, but likely rapidly unfolding in almost all parts of Gaza," they said. "Survival itself is now slipping out of reach and the humanitarian system is at breaking point."

"We call on all parties to guarantee the safety of our staff and to allow the safe, unfettered access of aid into and across Gaza through all entry points, and for world leaders to oppose further restrictions."

Israel's renewed assault has killed at least 1,691 people in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, bringing the overall toll since the war erupted to 51,065, most of them civilians.

Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, also mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.