Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Thursday, Oct 02, 2025

International court rules it can investigate Israel and Hamas over alleged war crimes

International court rules it can investigate Israel and Hamas over alleged war crimes

There are allegations against Israel over its actions in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem and against Hamas in Gaza.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has determined it has the jurisdiction to investigate Israel and the leaders of the Palestinian faction Hamas for alleged war crimes.

In a ruling with significant implications, judges in a pre-trial chamber of the ICC in The Hague, agreed that it is within the court's legal remit to hear war crimes allegations made against Israel in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem and also against Hamas in Gaza.

Six years ago, the ICC's chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda launched a preliminary investigation into Israel's actions in the Palestinian Territories, with a particular focus on the 50-day Gaza war in 2014 in which more than 2,000 Palestinians were killed and 10,000 wounded. Sixty-seven Israeli soldiers died.

Palestinians near their ruined house destroyed by an overnight Israeli airstrike in Gaza City in July 2014

Palestinian protesters battle Israeli troops in the West Bank city of Hebron in September 2014 at the start of the Gaza war


This new ruling, delivered late on Friday night, allows the court to begin the criminal investigation should it want to.

The decision, based on the disputed legal interpretation that Palestine is a state, was welcomed by human rights groups but condemned by the Israeli government.

Leading Israeli human rights organisation B'Tselem said in a statement: "The decision follows the facts of the matter and brings hope towards an end for impunity."

The statement continued: "Further, we hope that the ICC decision will have a restraining effect on Israeli actions, even before the investigation advances - for example in preventing further attempts to forcibly transfer Palestinian communities, such as the ones we witnessed this week in the South Hebron Hills and in the Jordan Valley."

But the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "Today the court proved once again that it is a political body and not a judicial institution.

"The court ignores real war crimes and instead persecutes the state of Israel, a state with a firm democratic regime, which sanctifies the rule of law, and is not a member of the court," Mr Netanyahu said.

Palestinian militants take part in a military drill organised by Hamas and other armed factions in Gaza


He accused the court of "pure antisemitism" and said the ICC "refuses to investigate brutal dictatorships like Iran and Syria, who commit horrific atrocities almost daily."

Israeli government officials, speaking to Sky News on background, say the ICC's ruling is flawed and expressed concern that it will make it more not less difficult to find a political resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In Washington DC, a State Department statement said: "We have serious concerns about the ICC's attempts to exercise its jurisdiction over Israeli personnel.

Palestinian students at a graduation ceremony for a military-style training programme in Gaza City January 2014


"The United States has always taken the position that the court's jurisdiction should be reserved for countries that consent to it, or that are referred by the UN Security Council.

"We will continue to uphold President Biden's strong commitment to Israel and its security, including opposing actions that seek to target Israel unfairly," spokesman Ned Price said.

The ICC tries individuals not countries. But Israeli officials told Sky News that they do not anticipate any immediate issues, like travel bans, for political or military figures who could be placed under investigation.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
Top AI Researchers Are Heading Back to China as U.S. Struggles to Keep Pace
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Trump and Starmer Clash Over UK Recognition of Palestinian State Amid State Visit
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
×