Oct 29, 2023. Posted by Balkan Periscope - Hellas
Impeding
relief supplies to Gaza's population may constitute a crime under the
International Criminal Court's (ICC) jurisdiction, the court's top prosecutor
told a news conference in Egypt on Sunday.
Karim Khan also said Israel must make "discernable efforts, without further delay to make sure civilians receive basic foods, medicine".
Aid
supplies to Gaza have been minimal since Israel began bombarding the densely
populated Palestinian enclave in response to a deadly attack by its ruling
militant group Hamas on Oct. 7.
Israeli
officials have said that food, water and medicines have been coming in through
the Egyptian border and that it expected the quantities to rise.
United
Nations officials have said the aid supplies are limited and do not correspond
to the huge need on the ground.
In an
unannounced visit, the ICC prosecutor went to the Rafah border crossing between
Egypt and Gaza earlier in the day and posted a video statement from his
location on X social media.
Khan said
he was not able to get into Gaza but hopes to visit the Gaza strip and Israel
while he is in the region.
The court
has been investigating in the occupied Palestinian territories since 2021,
looking into possible war crimes and crimes against humanity there from 2014
onwards.
Israel,
which is not a member of the ICC, has previously rejected the court's
jurisdiction and does not formally engage with its investigations.
Khan has
previously said that the ICC has jurisdiction over alleged war crimes and
crimes against humanity during both the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in Israel and in
the territory of Gaza.
(Reuters)