NGOs Sue Denmark to End Arms Export to Israel

 Israeli soldiers walk near the border with Gaza Strip in southern Israel on March 12, 2024, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
Israeli soldiers walk near the border with Gaza Strip in southern Israel on March 12, 2024, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
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NGOs Sue Denmark to End Arms Export to Israel

 Israeli soldiers walk near the border with Gaza Strip in southern Israel on March 12, 2024, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
Israeli soldiers walk near the border with Gaza Strip in southern Israel on March 12, 2024, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)

A group of NGOs on Tuesday said they will sue the Danish state to end the Nordic country's arms exports to Israel, citing concerns that its weapons were being used to commit serious crimes against civilians during the war in Gaza.

A Dutch court in February ordered the Netherlands to block all exports of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel over concerns they were being used to violate international law in Gaza.

Amnesty International Denmark, Oxfam Denmark, ActionAid Denmark and Palestinian human rights organization Al-Haq in a joint statement said they will sue the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Police, which approves Danish sales of weapons and military equipment. They said they would file the lawsuit to a yet unspecified court within the next three weeks.

The Danish foreign ministry and the National Police did not have an immediate comment.

"For five months we have been talking about a potential genocide in Gaza, but we have not seen politicians take action," Tim Whyte, Secretary General of ActionAid Denmark, said in a statement.

Israel denies committing war crimes in its offensive in Gaza, launched in response to an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas fighters in which 1,200 Israelis were killed. Gaza authorities say over 31,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war.

Responding to international outcry over the heavy humanitarian toll of its campaign, Israel has said it was doing all it could to minimize civilian casualties, blaming Hamas for fighting in densely populated areas.

The World Court in January ordered Israel to prevent acts of genocide against Palestinians and do more to help civilians, although it stopped short of ordering a ceasefire as requested by South Africa.

Denmark is a signatory of the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty, making all its arms transfers subject to rigorous risk and human rights assessments.



Airstrike in Myanmar Kills Nearly 30 People

This handout photo provided by the Mandalay People's Defense Force shows a firefighter and men douse fire after an airstrike by the ruling military in Let Pan Hla village in Singu township in Mandalay region, Myanmar, Friday, Mar.14, 2025. (Mandalay People's Defence Force via AP)
This handout photo provided by the Mandalay People's Defense Force shows a firefighter and men douse fire after an airstrike by the ruling military in Let Pan Hla village in Singu township in Mandalay region, Myanmar, Friday, Mar.14, 2025. (Mandalay People's Defence Force via AP)
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Airstrike in Myanmar Kills Nearly 30 People

This handout photo provided by the Mandalay People's Defense Force shows a firefighter and men douse fire after an airstrike by the ruling military in Let Pan Hla village in Singu township in Mandalay region, Myanmar, Friday, Mar.14, 2025. (Mandalay People's Defence Force via AP)
This handout photo provided by the Mandalay People's Defense Force shows a firefighter and men douse fire after an airstrike by the ruling military in Let Pan Hla village in Singu township in Mandalay region, Myanmar, Friday, Mar.14, 2025. (Mandalay People's Defence Force via AP)

An airstrike by Myanmar’s military on a central village under the control of a pro-democracy resistance group has killed at least 27 civilians and injured 30 others, an opposition group and Myanmar’s online media said Saturday.
The attack occurred Friday at 3 p.m. in Let Pan Hla village in Singu township, about 65 kilometers (40 miles) north of Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city, a spokesperson for the Mandalay People’s Defense Force said.
The military did not comment on Saturday, The Associated Press said.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, 2021, triggering widespread popular opposition. After peaceful demonstrations were put down with lethal force, many opponents of military rule took up arms, and large parts of the country are now embroiled in conflict.
The military government has stepped up airstrikes against the armed pro-democracy People's Defense Force and ethnic minority guerrilla groups that have been fighting for greater autonomy for decades. The two groups sometimes carry out joint operations against the army. The resistance forces have no defense against air attacks.
The town of Singu was seized by the Mandalay People’s Defense Force (MDY-PDF), which supports Myanmar’s main opposition, in July last year.
The group's statement released Saturday on its Telegram social media channel said six children were among the 27 killed in the airstrike that targeted crowded market stalls in Let Pan Hla village.
Osmond, the group's spokesperson, told The Associated Press that about 10 houses near the village market were destroyed by bombs.
“This airstrike was not aimed at a military target, but rather at the market area, where civilians visit daily,” Osmond said in a message.
The situation in the village could not be independently confirmed, with access to the internet and cellphone service in the area mostly cut off.
The independent Myanmar Now online media reported that the death toll from the airstrike that hit a tea shop near the village market had reached 30 and seven were in critical condition.
A report issued last month by Nyan Lynn Thit Analytica, a Myanmar research and advocacy organization, said that since the military’s 2021 takeover, 2,224 civilian had been killed and 3,466 wounded in 4,157 airstrikes.