ROME (Reuters) — Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Tuesday that she and two of her ministers had been reported to the International Criminal Court for alleged “complicity in genocide” in connection with Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.
Speaking in an interview with state television broadcaster RAI, Meloni said Defense Minister Guido Crosetto and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani had been denounced, and “I think” also Roberto Cingolani, the head of defense group Leonardo.
“I don’t believe there is another case like this in the world or in history,” Meloni said.
She did not elaborate on who had brought the case against her and her ministers.
Italy has seen a string of demonstrations over the last week, bringing hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets to protest against Israel over the war in Gaza, with many protesters also taking aim at Meloni.
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Her right-wing government, generally a staunch supporter of Israel, has distanced itself recently from what it calls its “disproportionate” offensive against Hamas, but has not severed any commercial or diplomatic links, or recognized Palestinian statehood as other Western countries have done.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni speaks during the General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly, in New York City, on September 24, 2025. (Leonardo MUNOZ / AFP)
Meloni said she was “amazed” by the accusation of complicity in genocide because “anyone who knows the situation is aware that Italy has not authorized new, let’s say, arms supplies to Israel after October 7.”
In response to her remarks, a Leonardo spokesperson said Cingolani had already expressed the company’s position in an interview with the daily Corriere della Sera last month when he said the suggestion that it was complicit in genocide was “a very serious frame-up.”
Israel vehemently denies accusations of genocide, says it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities, and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas including homes, hospitals, schools, and mosques.
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