The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) called on Israel on Sunday (December 3) to respect international rules of war and said it was stepping up its investigation into violence against Palestinians by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
“In Gaza, there is no reason for doctors to be in the hospital without There is no reason to operate on a child without anesthesia. Imagine the pain.” ”
I am very clear that now is the time to obey the law. If Israel does not comply now, they should not later Complaints,” the prosecutor said.
Israel has vowed to eliminate Hamas and said its goal in Gaza is to destroy targets linked to the group, while urging civilians to leave the areas. Meanwhile, Iran-backed Hamas has vowed to destroy Israel.
Prosecutor Karim Khan also called on Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by the United States, to respect the rules of war and not misuse any humanitarian aid sent to the besieged Gaza Strip.
“Civilians must receive basic food, water and urgently needed medical supplies immediately and on a large scale without delay, quickly and on a large scale.”
The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said that the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7 were “One of the most serious international crimes that shocks the conscience of mankind,” and said the ICC was ready to assist Israel in investigating these atrocities and prosecuting those responsible.
At the same time, he said violence by settlers in the West Bank was “unacceptable” and could not go unpunished.
“We have been investigating and we are accelerating the investigation,” he said of the situation in the West Bank. “No Israeli settler armed with ideology and guns can think that now is the (shooting) season to openly target Palestinians.”
Israel is not a member of the Hague court and does not recognize its jurisdiction. But Karim Khan stressed in October that his court had jurisdiction over potential war crimes committed by Hamas militants against Israel and by Israelis in Gaza.
Since 2021, the International Criminal Court has been continuing to investigate possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in the occupied Palestinian territories.
According to Israeli statistics, since Hamas gunmen occupied several Israeli communities on October 7, killing more than 1,200 Israelis and taking about 240 hostages, both sides have made accusations of war crimes and human rights violations.
In response, Israel launched airstrikes on the enclave and invaded with tanks and ground troops, killing more than 15,000 Gazans, according to the Palestinian health authority.
(This article is based on a Reuters report.)