ICC Says Impeding Aid to Gaza Could be a Crime Under the Court’s Jurisdiction
(AWP) - International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan said the obstruction of food deliveries and medicines into the Gaza Strip may be tantamount to a crime under the jurisdiction of the ICC.
During a press conference in Cairo after visiting the border crossing of Rafah, Khan said, “Israel has to make discernible efforts without further delay to make sure civilians receive basic food, medicine, anaesthetics and morphine. We have heard of operations taking place without these basic medicines as if we were in the Middle Ages!”
He added, “The Palestinians who want no part in this conflict are caught up in hostilities and too many of them are dying or being injured.”
Khan emphasised the issue of innocent civilians trapped under the weight of a war they cannot escape from and for which they are not to blame, saying it is unacceptable that they are denied an opportunity to live.
He said, “Israel has obligations in relation to its war with Hamas. Not just moral obligations but also legal obligations to comply with the laws of armed conflict.”
The ICC Prosecutor had earlier visited the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt. He said he had hoped he would be able to visit the Gaza Strip and Israel while he was on a visit to the region, but he was unable to do so.
“I made every effort to enter Gaza, but it has not been possible. I wanted to meet those who are suffering such tremendous pain, to hear their experiences first-hand and, very importantly, to promise them that justice is their birth-right and they deserve it as much as any other of God’s creations.”