"The Egregious Breach of Fundamental Principles of Humanity"

"In both Kibbutz Be'eri and Kibbutz Kfar Azza, as well as a the site of the Nova Music Festival in Re'im, I witnessed scenes of calculated cruelty."

"[I will work in partnership with victims' families] as part of our ongoing work to hold those responsible to account."

"[The Israel Defense Forces] has trained lawyers who advise commanders, and a robust system intended to ensure compliance with international humanitarian law."

"Conflict in densely populated areas where fighters are alleged to be unlawfully embedded in the civilian population is inherently complex, but international humanitarian law must still apply and the Israeli military knows the law that must be applied."

"As I have repeatedly emphasized, civilians must have access to basic food, water and desperately needed medical supplies, without further delay, and at pace and at scale."

"And when such aid arrives, it must not be diverted or misused by Hamas."

International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor Karim Ahmad Khan

Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Karim Khan visits a Gaza border town massacred by Hamas, on December 3, 2023. (Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum)

 

In 2015 the Palestinian Authority declared its acceptance of the ICC jurisdiction when it appealed to the court to investigate the PA's allegations of Israel committing crimes against Palestinians. The crimes being, of course, the IDF's vigilance against and interception of when possible, violence by Palestinians urged on by the PA's frequent declarations of the need for Palestinians to 'resist' the 'occupation'; an 'occupation' necessitated by the requirement of self-protection from such lethal attacks.

Not only does the Palestinian Authority's Mahmoud Abbas incite Palestinians to violence, praising them as martyrs and offering financial upkeep to families of 'martyrs' and to prisoners in Israeli jails who have committed terrorist acts, it also publishes school curricula for children at every grade level replete with scurrilous descriptions of Jews and warnings that Israel means to kill them, and it is their obligation to strike first.

Israel, on the other hand, with its experience as the perpetual target of Palestinian 'victimhood' and 'rage' and 'intifadas', along with its negative status in the United Nations, as well as previous ICC spokespeople and investigators, had no wish to accept the International Criminal Court's jurisdiction over the "situation in Palestine". Yet families of some of the Israeli hostages taken by Hamas terrorists into Gaza to be tormented and tortured and to serve as pawns in prisoner exchanges, appealed to the ICC to inspect the deadly carnage in the aftermath of the Hamas atrocities.

The result was that Karim Ahmad Khan, the ICC chief prosecutor, toured the aftermath sites of the three most heavily attacked southern Israel areas on October 7, and concluded from the evidence and his own inspection that the Hamas slaughter represents "some of the most serious international crimes that shock the conscience of humanity". The consciences of ordinary Palestinian citizens in Gaza, however were exempt from shock; they chose to celebrate the 'victory' Hamas brought to Gaza in the form of injured and frightened Israeli children, teens, women, the elderly and soldiers.

 

The chief prosecutor called for the "immediate and unconditional" release of the estimated 137 hostages remaining in captivity under Hamas, taking pains to cite "the egregious breach of fundamental principles of humanity through the taking and continued holding of children". He met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah where ways were discussed to "deepen our co-operation under the Rome Statute [ICC's founding charter]".

Handout picture provided by the Palestinian Press Office (PPO) shows Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas (CR) meeting with the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Karim Khan (CL) in Ramallah in the West Bank on December 2, 2023. (Photo by Thaer GHANAIM / PPO / AFP)