Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan to complete an investigation into crimes committed by "Israel" in Gaza. 

"The failure of [Karim Khan], the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), to complete the investigation and file a lawsuit against crimes against humanity committed in Palestine causes the tragedy in Gaza to escalate and the massacre of children to continue," Tunc posted on X. 

"The delay in the case encourages Israeli attackers, eliminates credibility of International Law, and neutralizes the ICC," he stressed. 

The failure of @KarimKhanQC, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), to complete the investigation and file a lawsuit against crimes against humanity committed in Palestine causes the tragedy in Gaza to escalate and the massacre of children to continue.

The… https://t.co/7z7IeP1gTP

— Yılmaz TUNÇ (@yilmaztunc) May 4, 2024

"If not, when will the action be taken in the attacks in which 37.000 civilians, including 15.000 children, were killed, 77.000 innocent people were injured, millions of people were exposed to famine and drought, the hospitals, places of worship, schools and refugee camps were bombed?" Tunc added highlighting the importance of taking action. 

Tunc emphasized that remaining silent about the massacre "will mean being an accomplice to the crime committed," then added that the reason why the ICC was formed to begin with is to prevent genocide. 

"Delaying even one day means losing the lives of hundreds of children," the minister stressed.

ICC warned against any threats of retaliation, intimidation against it

The Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a statement on May 3 on X warning about any threats of retaliation against the Office stressing that the latter may constitute an offense against the administration of justice. 

In recent weeks, Israeli authorities have become more anxious since reportedly the names of Netanyahu, Security Minister Yoav Gallant, and Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi have been circled as suspects of war crimes that the ICC will look to prosecute and issue arrest warrants against.

The ICC has been looking into war crimes committed back in 2014 in the Gaza Strip, however, it has produced no punitive decisions against individuals. The inquiry has been expanded to include the events of October 7, as well as the current war on Gaza.

In its statement, the Office of the Prosecutor welcomed all comments, communication of concerns, and engagement in its activities from "State and elected officials, non-governmental organizations, scholars, and activists."

However, the Office made it very clear that "when individuals threaten to retaliate against the Court or against Court personnel should the Office, in fulfillment of its mandate, make decisions about investigations or cases falling within its jurisdiction," the independence and impartiality are "undermined".

It emphasized that these kinds of threats even if not accompanied by any actions upon them, "may also constitute an offense against the administration of justice under Art. 70 of the Rome Statute."