Hague court looking at Israeli killing of Gazans

By Abdullah Asiran

THE HAGUE

The International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague is looking into whether it should try Israel’s martyring of over 60 unarmed civilians along the Gaza Strip, said a source with the court on Thursday.

“We are concerned about the escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip,” the source told Anadolu Agency, asking not to be named due to restrictions on talking to the media.

Prosecutors are doing preliminary examinations, the source said.

Recent and future developments could be added to the examinations, the source added.

Prosecutors called on all parties to avoid further escalation, the source said.

Fatou Bensuda, the ICC’s chief prosecutor, said last month that she was concerned about disproportionate force used by Israeli soldiers along the Gaza border.

On Monday at least 62 Palestinian demonstrators were martyred and thousands more injured by Israeli armed forces along the Gaza border, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

Thousands of Palestinians had gathered on Gaza Strip’s eastern border to take part in protests marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of Israel -- the Nakba ("Catastrophe") -- and protest the relocation of the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Since the Gaza rallies began on March 30, more than 100 Palestinian demonstrators have been martyred by cross-border Israeli army gunfire.

Last week, the Israeli government claimed the ongoing border protests constitute a “state of war” in which international humanitarian law does not apply.