Five signatory states to the treaty creating the International Criminal Court (ICC) have called for an investigation into the “ situation in the State of Palestine », announced his prosecutor, who confirmed that he was investigating the crimes committed since the bloody Hamas attack on October 7.
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In Israel, 1,200 people have been killed since October 7, the majority civilians, massacred on the day of the Hamas attack, of a violence and scale unprecedented since the creation of Israel in 1948. More than 240 people were taken hostage. Israel then launched a massive retaliatory offensive against Hamas in Gazaduring which 12,000 people were killed, according to the Ministry of Health in the territory controlled by Hamas.
“ My Office received a referral on the situation in the State of Palestine from the following five States Parties: Bangladesh, Bolivia, South Africa, […] Comoros and Djibouti “, said Karim Khan, ICC prosecutor. “ In receiving the referral, my Office confirms that it is currently investigating the situation “, he added in a press release.
The ICC, created in 2002 to try the world’s worst atrocities, opened an investigation in 2021 into alleged war crimes in the Palestinian Territories, including alleged crimes committed by Israeli forces, Hamas and other groups. armed Palestinians.
Karim Khan said his mandate would apply to alleged crimes committed during the current war. But its teams were unable to enter Gaza, nor Israel, which is not a member of the ICC. Legal experts told AFP that both sides could be accused of war crimes.
A referral for the ICC to bring “ urgent attention to the seriousness of the situation »
South Africa specified that it had filed this referral, with “ other countries sharing the same concerns ”, so that the ICC carries “ urgent attention to the seriousness of the situation » current. Pretoria further encourages other States parties to the Rome Statute to join the referral, or to submit separate referrals independently », Adds the press release from its Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
A State Party may refer to the Prosecutor a situation in which one or more crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court appear to have been committed, requesting the Prosecutor to investigate the situation for the purpose of determining whether a specific person or persons should be charged. of the commission of such crimes, recalled the British magistrate.
“ From the start of my mandate, in June 2021, I established for the first time a dedicated team to advance the investigation into the situation in the State of Palestine “, indicated the prosecutor. “ The Office has collected a significant volume of information “, he also underlined.
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(With AFP)