International Criminal Court: Five Countries Request Investigation into War Crimes in Palestinian Territories

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, announced today that he has received a request from five countries to investigate the situation in the Palestinian territories. Khan stated that the request came from South Africa, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Comoros, and Djibouti. The International Criminal Court is already conducting an ongoing investigation into "the situation in the State of Palestine" regarding alleged war crimes committed since June 13, 2014. Last month, Khan mentioned that his office's mandate includes Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7 and any crimes committed in the context of the Israeli response, including bombardments of the Gaza Strip. Because the investigation is already underway, the request submitted today will have limited practical impact. The Office of the Prosecutor stated in a release that it has so far gathered "a significant amount of information and evidence" regarding crimes in the Palestinian territories, including crimes committed by Palestinians as well. Israel is not a member of the court and does not recognize its authority. The International Criminal Court can investigate citizens of non-member states under certain circumstances, such as cases involving allegations of crimes committed in the territories of member states. Since 2015, the Palestinian territories have been listed among the members of the International Criminal Court.