'Preventing Humanitarian aid is war crime': ICC to Israel

Tel Aviv , Oct 30 (IANS) The International Criminal Court (ICC) has warned Israel that preventing humanitarian aid reaching affected people would be considered as a war crime.

ICC prosecutor Karim Khan made the remark after visiting the Rafah border between Egypt and Gaza Strip.

He said that several trucks were waiting to be allowed into Gaza Strip and struck on Egyptian side.

He called upon Israel to allow more trucks with humanitarian aid into Gaza and added that the ICC was seriously probing into the October 7 massacre in which 1,400 Israeli citizens were killed, more than 3,000 injured and 239 captured as hostages.

The jurisdiction of the ICC, however, is only in Gaza and West Bank but Khan said that he was actively probing into the October 7 mayhem.

Khan said that his office was conducting detailed investigations into any crimes committed on the territory of Palestine by Israel or from Palestine into Israel.

He also indicated that the ongoing probe was an extension of the investigation taken up by ICC during the 2014 Hamas - Israel conflict which was launched by his predecessor Fatou Bensouda and approved in 2021.

Israel is not a member of the ICC and has not ratified the Rome Statute and has refused to cooperate with the ICC.