News / Palestine

ICC team to visit Israel to probe war crimes: Report

Thursday, 11 June 2015 1:27 PM [ Last Update: Thursday, 11 June 2015 1:28 PM ]

The headquarters of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands (file photo)

A delegation from the International Criminal Court (ICC) is set to travel to Israel as part of a preliminary investigation into the Zionist regime's war crimes against Palestinians, sources say.

Palestinian sources, whose names were not released, said inspectors from The Hague-based court will arrive in Israel on June 27, the website of the Israeli Haaretz newspaper said on Thursday.

An unnamed lawyer representing the Palestinians said the planned visit is a good sign while a legal expert said the move demonstrates that the inquiry is being "taken seriously" by the international legal body.

The ICC prosecutor's office, however, said in a statement that the visit was part of its routine examination process, adding, “As part of its preliminary examination activities, the Office of the Prosecutor conducts field visits as it has done in the past with other situations under preliminary examinations.”

Meanwhile, in a separate development on Thursday, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki announced that he will travel to The Hague on June 25 to submit the Palestinians' first report on Israeli war crimes.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki (© AP)

He said the reports outline Tel Aviv’s illegal settlements construction and Israeli military aggression against the Gaza Strip last year.

The Israeli regime launched a 50-day deadly war on Gaza last summer that ended in August 2014 with a truce. The aggression left about 2,200 Palestinians, including 577 children, dead and over 11,100 others injured.