ICC Hints Foreign Fighters in Libya Could Face Prosecution

Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Fatou Bensouda. Reuters
Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Fatou Bensouda. Reuters
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ICC Hints Foreign Fighters in Libya Could Face Prosecution

Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Fatou Bensouda. Reuters
Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Fatou Bensouda. Reuters

Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Fatou Bensouda told the UN Security Council on Monday that mercenaries and armed groups involved in the Libyan conflict could face prosecution.

“I must emphasize that crimes committed by mercenaries and foreign fighters on Libyan territory may fall under the jurisdiction of the Court, no matter the nationality of the persons involved,” she said.

In her last briefing to the Council on the Libya situation before the end of her mandate on June 15, Bensouda said her Office has received concerning information about the activities of mercenaries and foreign fighters in Libya.

“This information is consistent with the findings of UNSMIL Panel of Experts reports. The Office fully supports the call for these armed groups and individuals to leave Libya without delay,” she said.

The UN estimates that there are at least 20,000 foreign fighters and mercenaries in Libya.

Bensouda also encouraged the Council and all UN member states to once again convey a clear and firm message to leaders and commanders, be they military or civilian, and all parties and armed groups involved in the Libya conflict that the rules of international humanitarian law must be respected and that those who defy such rules will be held individually responsible.

Also, the Chief Prosecutor said her office collected credible information and evidence on serious crimes allegedly committed in official and unofficial detention facilities in Libya.

“Further credible reports detail the summary conviction and sentencing of civilians to long prison sentences including handing of death penalty by Military Courts in eastern Libya following secret trials devoid of fair trial guarantees,” she said.

UNSMIL says more than 8,850 individuals are arbitrarily detained at 28 official prisons in Libya in Judicial Police custody with an estimated 60 to 70 percent in pre-trial detention. An additional 10,000 individuals are detained in other detention facilities run by militia and armed groups including about 480 women and 63 juveniles and children.



US Confirms Death of American in West Bank in Israeli Settler Attack

Women inspect the site of a burnt house and torched vehicles following a spree of violent rampage by Israeli settlers overnight that left one dead Palestinian American, a burnt house and several torched vehicles in three Palestinian towns, in the West Bank town of Silwad, east of Ramallah Thursday, July 31, 2025. (AP)
Women inspect the site of a burnt house and torched vehicles following a spree of violent rampage by Israeli settlers overnight that left one dead Palestinian American, a burnt house and several torched vehicles in three Palestinian towns, in the West Bank town of Silwad, east of Ramallah Thursday, July 31, 2025. (AP)
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US Confirms Death of American in West Bank in Israeli Settler Attack

Women inspect the site of a burnt house and torched vehicles following a spree of violent rampage by Israeli settlers overnight that left one dead Palestinian American, a burnt house and several torched vehicles in three Palestinian towns, in the West Bank town of Silwad, east of Ramallah Thursday, July 31, 2025. (AP)
Women inspect the site of a burnt house and torched vehicles following a spree of violent rampage by Israeli settlers overnight that left one dead Palestinian American, a burnt house and several torched vehicles in three Palestinian towns, in the West Bank town of Silwad, east of Ramallah Thursday, July 31, 2025. (AP)

The US State Department on Sunday confirmed an American citizen had died this week in the West Bank, with family and Palestinian officials attributing his death to arson by Israeli settlers.

The Palestinian Authority and witnesses reported on Thursday that Israeli settlers had set fire to homes and cars in the West Bank village of Silwad, the latest attack in the occupied territory.

Khamis Ayyad, 41, died from smoke inhalation due to the fires, the Palestinian health ministry said.

Speaking Friday at a press conference in Chicago, Ayyad's family said he had moved to the West Bank several years ago with his wife and children, but continued to work for an American company.

He is at least the second American citizen killed in West Bank settler violence in July, after a 20-year-old man was beaten to death while visiting family in the town of Sinjil.

Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, demanded Israel investigate that killing, calling it a "criminal and terrorist act," but has yet to comment on the death of Ayyad.

Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said "several suspects... set fire to property and vehicles in the Silwad area," but forces dispatched to the scene were unable to identify them.

It added that Israeli police had launched an investigation.

Asked for comment on the latest death, a State Department spokesperson said "we can confirm the death of a US citizen in the town of Silwad in the West Bank," without naming Ayyad.

"We condemn criminal violence by any party in the West Bank," the spokesperson said on condition of anonymity.

The West Bank is home to some three million Palestinians, who live alongside about 500,000 Israeli settlers.

Violence in the territory has surged throughout the Gaza war triggered by Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel.