ICC 'actively investigating' any crimes committed in Gaza: Prosecutor
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Karim Khan voices deep concerns about the Israeli aerial aggression on Rafah, as well as the potential ground invasion.
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Karim Khan, Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, looks up prior to a press conference in The Hague, Netherlands, Monday, July 3, 2023. (AP)
International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan said he was "deeply concerned by the reported bombardment and potential ground incursion by Israeli forces in Rafah," stressing that since his last visit to Ramallah, the occupied West Bank, Khan has "not seen any discernible change in conduct by Israel."
In a post on X, Khan said the ICC was "actively investigating any crimes allegedly committed" in Gaza, adding that "those who are in breach of the law will be held accountable."
Moreover, the ICC Prosecutor reminded that "zll wars have rules and the laws applicable to armed conflict cannot be interpreted so as to render them hollow or devoid of meaning," as he reaffirmed that "this has been my consistent message."
I am deeply concerned by the reported bombardment and potential ground incursion by Israeli forces in Rafah.
— Karim A. A. Khan KC (@KarimKhanQC) February 12, 2024
My Office has an ongoing and active investigation into the situation in the State of Palestine. This is being taken forward as a matter of the utmost urgency, with a…
Khan also made a clear statement noting that "those who do not comply with the law should not complain later when my Office takes action pursuant to its mandate," while also reaffirming in a conclusory statement that he "continues to call for the immediate release of all hostages."
This comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his officials on February 9 to "submit to the cabinet a combined plan for evacuating the population and destroying the battalions" of the Resistance, a statement issued by his office said.
"It is impossible to achieve the goal of the war without eliminating Hamas, and by leaving four Hamas battalions in Rafah. On the contrary, it is clear that intense activity in Rafah requires that civilians evacuate the areas of combat," the statement added.
Rafah attack continuation of genocidal war against Palestinians: Hamas
The Palestinian Resistance movement Hamas stressed that the "Nazi-like" Israeli occupation army attack on the city of Rafah is considered a continuation of the genocidal war against the Palestinian people.
In a statement commenting on the massacre that the Israeli occupation forces committed against the southern city, in which at least 100 Palestinians were martyred and several others were wounded, Hamas held the US administration and President Biden personally, along with the Israeli occupation government, fully responsible for this crime.
"Israel" has committed yet another brutal massacre against #Palestinians in #Gaza, but this time, in the southern city of #Rafah, where over a million Palestinians live in tents under dire humanitarian conditions.#GazaGenocide #RafahMassacre pic.twitter.com/QtQfFtDlBV
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) February 12, 2024
This massacre committed by "the terrorist Netanyahu government and its Nazi-like army" flies in the face of the urgent measures called for by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), including ceasing all activities amounting to genocide, the movement underlined.
It also deemed the attack on Rafah as a deliberate escalation in the genocidal war, which expands the scope of massacres against the Palestinian people.
Elsewhere, Hamas called on the League of Arab States, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the United Nations Security Council to take urgent and serious action to stop the Zionist aggression.
